Petra Ecclestone buys LA mansion for her pet dogs
Petra Ecclestone, daughter of Formula One grand poobah Ernie Ecclestone, has revealed the real reason behind her purchase of a £52 million ($82.8 million) mansion in a swanky area of Los Angeles: it’s to giver her dogs more space.
22-year-old Ecclestone admitted that her purchase of the 14-bedroom luxury property (made with her father’s money, naturally) was out of concern for her five pet dogs. According to her, they deserve a larger place to live, despite the fact that she owns another mansion in Chelsea worth £56 million ($89.2 million).
Constructed by the now deceased TV producer Aaron Spelling, whose hits include Charlie’s Angels and Dallas, the sprawling French chateau-styled mansion has acres of gardens, a swimming pool, gift wrapping rooms, and a main staircase whose design was cribbed from ‘Gone With the Wind’. Ecclestone persuaded billionaire Bernie to buy it as she thought it was “homey and livable”.
However a deciding factor was the welfare of her pets, which include a Rottweiller and a Bulldog. She said:
“It’s important for them to be able to have space.”
Petra moved into the mansion with new husband James Stunt, whom she married last month in a ceremony that included entertainment from the Black Eyed Peas and Eric Clapton.
The property was purchased from Speling’s widow Candy, and at the time it was listed, it was the most expensive property in the whole of the US.
Petra isn’t the first Ecclestone to lavish millions on her pets; Tamara, her sister, burned through £10 million ($15.9 million) renovating her £60 million ($95.6 million) Kensington home, which included a spar with crystal encrusted seats for her dogs.
Ecclestone plans to settle into her new career as a fashion designer. She commented:
“My full-time job isn’t just blowing my parents’ money.”
