The Geordie geniuses Ant and Dec have won the top presenters award at the National Television Awards for the last 16 years. They have their own television production programme, front I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and have their fingers in a whole host of other pies. If the rumours are correct they have a £40 million contract with ITV which runs until 2019. So, with a reported wealth of £62 million each, is property a major part of their wealth?
Secretive investors
If you search the Internet there is not an awful lot about the property investments of Ant and Dec despite the fact they are premier league celebrities. However, it is believed that property investments have increased their wealth by £10 million over the years and property is an integral part of their long-term investment strategy. Can we assume they have significant exposure to their Newcastle homeland despite the fact that both live in London? They have obviously invested in luxury homes and, even though they spend an enormous amount of their working life together, they are neighbours in real life in Chiswick, West London.
Celebrity property investors can sometimes find it difficult to maintain any kind of secrecy due to their names. Indeed many celebrity real estate investors have complained that as soon as their name is in the public domain the price goes up. However, the Geordie duo have managed to keep a low profile within investment markets.
From £100 a day to a £62 million bonanza
Those who follow Ant and Dec will be well aware that the dual started out playing PJ and Duncan in popular children’s TV programme “Byker Grove” for which they were paid just £100 a day. While this particular show created a number of Geordie celebrities no-one has come anywhere near Ant and Dec with the pair having gone on to chart music success and an array of their own television programmes.
The “golden handcuffs” deal with ITV is allegedly worth £40 million and we can only estimate the price when this particular deal ends in 2019. Even though they have been on our television screens as a duo for the last 25 years the general public never seems to tire of their cheeky chappie personalities. These lifelong friends have built up a massive personal wealth and seem to have a shelf life like no other.
Investment portfolio
The fact that the duo are rumoured to have earned more than £10 million from their property portfolio would indicate this is a significant part of their overall wealth. More and more celebrities are now turning to property assets for their long-term future which many now see as comparable to traditional pension plans. While short to medium term capital appreciation may be difficult to obtain in current market conditions, there is still potential for good long-term rental income. Those with a long-term investment horizon have been able to take advantage of current market volatility to obtain some good value assets offering well above average rental income.
When you bear in mind interest rates in the UK are unlikely to rise in the short to medium term, due to the worldwide economic situation, the appeal of potentially double-digit rental yields is attracting those with money to invest on a long-term basis.