Watching as he dishes out design advice VV on Love It or List It Australia, you can still pick up the hint of Neale Whitaker's Mancunian drawl. The little bit of the UK that clings to his voice also remains in his bones, emerging from time to time - especially at Christmas. "I'm convinced our Christmas DNA is formed by wherever in the world we grew up, and while it can be modified and adapted there will always be a part of us that yearns for the ghosts of Christmas past," says the television personality and King ambassador.
Whitaker grew up with "over-stuffed, overheated Christmases in front of an English TV - lunch always timed to the Queen's 3pm speech".
These days he has adapted to long, lazy Christmas lunches prepared by his partner, former chef David Novak-Piper, in their home on the South Coast of New South Wales.
This story is from the November 2022 edition of Marie Claire Australia.
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This story is from the November 2022 edition of Marie Claire Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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