LIVING THE DREAM

Ben Forster and Paul Longman invite us into their stunning home in Cumbria, which regularly plays host to a who's who of British celebrities and A-list superstars

- MELANIE MACLEOD

A sense of calm descends as you wind through the serene acres of land that surround the majestic Georgian house belonging to the West End star Ben Forster and his partner, the property developer Paul Longman.

Nestled in the foothills of the North Pennines, between the mountains and lakes of the Lake District National Park and the wonders of the Scottish Borders, the breathtaking Country House sat empty for 12 years before Ben and Paul set about transforming it into the riot of colour and fun it is today.

The six-bedroom property, which is available to rent and has hosted celebrity guests including Cheryl Tweedy, Melanie Chisholm and Emma Bunton, has always had a fairytale quality for Ben, who grew up in a neighbouring village and used to sit on his father's shoulders, peering into his future home.

“I was obsessed with the house from ten years old,” Ben, 44, tells HELLO!. “I used to think: 'Who could live in a house like that?' I couldn't believe there was a beautiful, big, majestic, handsome house in the middle of where we all lived.”

Ben moved to London to fulfil his dream of singing and performing on the West End stage. He attended the prestigious Italia Conti Academy and went on to win Andrew Lloyd Webber's ITV show Superstar, before starring in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera.

But his heart remained in the Pennines, and when the Country House came up for sale in 2021, Ben and Paul asked one another: “How can we make this work?”