CHANGING Rooms legend Anna Ryder Richardson swapped wallpaper samples for wild animals after leaving TV – and now runs her very own zoo.
The favourite, once known for bold interior makeovers that divided the nation, has traded MDF and mood boards for meerkats and monkeys at her wildlife park.
She was the queen of the quick makeover – but these days legend is more at home with lemurs than living rooms.
Anna shot to fame alongside Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen transforming Britain’s blandest lounges, until the hit show ended in 2004.
She first found her flair for interiors while working in a kids’ furniture shop, before landing a design slot on in 1996.
It was there she rubbed shoulders with celeb chef Ainsley Harriott – who helped her bag her big break on Changing Rooms.
After 10 series of telly makeovers and power tool drama, Anna swapped wallpaper for welly boots and headed Down Under for in 2007, where she became the sixth star voted out of the jungle.
But the jungle wasn’t the wildest thing Anna would take on – as just a year later, the star made headlines by snapping up her very own zoo.
Swapping scatter cushions for safari-style chaos, Anna bought the crumbling Manor House Wildlife Park in rural in 2008 with her ex-husband – and set out to turn it into a top tourist hotspot.
Her rollercoaster mission was even turned into telly gold in Chaos at the Zoo, which followed the highs and lows of juggling animals, renovations and rogue rhinos.
Since taking over, Anna has poured her heart (and serious cash) into the place – building a £300k rhino house and welcoming in new residents including lions, zebras and parrots.
Owning a zoo might sound like a dream – but for Anna, it turned into a nightmare behind the scenes.
Running Manor Wildlife Park put huge pressure on her marriage, and by 2017, the strain proved too much.
The star and her husband called it quits, later telling the Mail Online that the “stresses and strains and expense of running our wildlife park have destroyed our marriage.”;
Things soon turned messy, with the split spiralling into a bitter legal battle over who would keep the zoo.
Anna described the ordeal as a “horrid limbo”; as the once united animal lovers fought tooth and claw over the future of their wild empire.
Speaking on the How To Be 60 podcast, Anna didn’t hold back as she opened up about the fallout of her bitter split – and her unexpected new chapter.
Chatting to star , the 61-year-old said: “I am enjoying a bit of celibacy, to be honest... but we’ve dived straight in there, haven’t we? I’m officially still married for another few weeks.”;
Reflecting on the turmoil of the past few years, she added: “It’s been probably the worst time, I think. It’s actually been going on for such a long time. Have I wasted all that time? Being in this horrid limbo and control and not really living my life, even though I look like them.”;
But after a long and painful battle, October 2024 finally brought closure – and a new beginning – with Anna officially returning to the helm at Manor Wildlife Park, ready to roar once more.
In a statement the former TV star said: “I am very excited, it has been a long time coming, but I am finally back with my beloved animals, incredible team, and excited to greet our visitors into the park. I have huge plans for the future of Manor Wildlife Park.”;
