Quick Answer: Grant Bovey is a British property entrepreneur and television personality. He led the buy-to-let firm Imagine Homes, was declared bankrupt in 2010, and was married to TV presenter Anthea Turner from 2000 until 2015. He is now 65 and still holds company directorships.
- Born in March 1961 in Nottingham; he turned 65 in 2026.
- He ran Imagine Homes, which was once the UK’s largest buyer of residential property.
- The firm went bust in 2009 with debts reported at around £50m.
- Declared bankrupt in 2010 and discharged in March 2011.
- Married Della Chapman (1991–1998), then Anthea Turner (2000–2015).
- Fought Ricky Gervais in a charity boxing match in 2002.
Grant Bovey’s Early Life and Background
Grant Michael Bovey was born in March 1961 in Nottingham. He has kept his early years private, and little has been published about his schooling. Long before the tabloids found him, he was simply a man building a career in property.
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How He Built His Property Empire
Bovey became a familiar figure in the UK housing market in the 1990s and early 2000s. He started Imagine Homes in 2003 with only four employees. It grew into what was then called the largest purchaser of residential property in the UK, and he was its chief executive.
He held interests in other firms too, including Veritas One and Imagine Furnishings. A 2008 profile in Business Matters valued the Veritas One portfolio at roughly £40m and set out a Bank of Scotland joint venture, designed to build a far bigger buy-to-let portfolio.
At its peak, the empire was worth about £100m, according to reports. He flew around the country by helicopter, and the couple shared a £10m Surrey estate and a £4m French ski chalet.
He also produced two fitness videos fronted by Turner: Anthea Turner Body Basics (1996) and The Inch Buster (1999).
£50m Collapse and Bankruptcy
The 2008 financial crisis changed everything. Lending dried up and prices fell.
Imagine Homes went bust in 2009. The Independent put the company’s debts at around £50m. Bovey was declared bankrupt the following year and listed his occupation as “unemployed” at Guildford County Court.
He did not dodge it. “It’s humiliating, and I feel that I’ve let Anthea down, that I’ve let down my children and everyone who had faith in me,” he admitted.
This is Money reported that he received his automatic discharge in March 2011, twelve months later. The helicopters were sold, and the Surrey estate went too. The couple kept the French chalet, with Bovey paying a bank a substantial sum for his half.
The £50m belonged to the collapsed company, not to him personally.
Marriage to Anthea Turner and “Flakegate”
Bovey married his first wife, Della Chapman, in 1991. They had three daughters, Lily, Amelia and Claudia, and divorced in 1998.
By then he had fallen for Anthea Turner. She left her first husband, DJ Peter Powell, in 1998 after an eight-year marriage. Bovey moved in with her, went back to Della briefly, then left for good.
The pair married in August 2000. The wedding became infamous for one photograph of them posing with Cadbury’s Snowflake bars, which was branded the most sickening wedding photo ever and nicknamed “Flakegate”.
Turner rejects the sponsorship claims. “It was a complete stitch-up,” she said, explaining that a magazine owner’s wife asked for the shot near midnight.
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The Affair That Ended the Marriage
On paper, the marriage lasted 15 years. It unravelled when Bovey had an affair with interior designer Zoe de Mallett Morgan. The Sun reported a 26-year age gap between them.
Turner forgave one earlier indiscretion. The second time, she turned detective. In her 2017 book How to Survive Divorce, she described reading his texts, checking his satnav and tracking his bike.
“I hated being the woman who checks up on her husband but, unfortunately, his behaviour turned me into her,” she wrote.
She confirmed the separation in 2013, and the divorce followed in 2015 on the grounds of adultery. Mail Online covered the fallout.
They are friends again now. “It might surprise a lot of people, but I have a very good relationship with Grant now,” Turner has said. She remains close to his three daughters.
Boxing Ricky Gervais and Hell’s Kitchen
In 2002 Bovey climbed into a ring with Ricky Gervais for charity. He lasted three 90-second rounds and lost on points. Gervais was gracious: “It’s all rubbish to say there’s any animosity between us”.
Seven years later he joined Hell’s Kitchen. Marco Pierre White first named him the surprise star of the show. After his eviction, Bovey hit back on ITV’s This Morning, calling the chef “very complicated”.
Grant Bovey on Celebrity Big Brother
He entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on 28 July 2016 for series 18, alongside Marnie Simpson, Lewis Bloor and Katie Waissel. Metro put his odds at 50/1 with Ladbrokes. OK! billed him as Anthea Turner’s affair-having, flake-eating, Ricky-Gervais-fighting former husband. Nominated against broadcaster James Whale, he became the first housemate evicted.
He knew why. “The perception of myself for some of my behaviour – most of which I regret – the perception is not great, and that’s why I’m not in the house today,” he said afterwards. Turner had encouraged him to go in. “For the record, Anthea and I speak to each other every day,” he added.
His relationship with Zoe ended around the same time. His representative told The Mirror: “Grant and Zoe did not split because of any TV show.”
The Bumble Age Row
In 2017, he was found to have a profile on the dating app Bumble. It listed his age as 46. He was 56.
Asked about it, he gave little away. “It is my private life, I have got no idea about that. No comment,” he said, before confirming, “I am definitely 56.” Zoe ended things for good once the profile surfaced.
Where is Grant Bovey Now?
Bankruptcy did not finish his business life. Companies House records show he became a director of Alexa Homes South West Limited, incorporated in March 2019 and still active. In 2026, those records also list directorships at SSHGRP Ltd and Studiostays Eastbourne Ltd, both of which he took up in 2025.
He keeps a far lower profile now. No verified figure exists for his net worth, so treat estimates on celebrity wealth sites with caution.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Grant Bovey?
Ans: Grant Bovey is a British businessman and TV personality. He ran the property firm Imagine Homes and is best known as Anthea Turner’s ex-husband.
How old is Grant Bovey?
Ans: He was born in March 1961 in Nottingham, making him 65 in 2026. His age made headlines in 2017 when a dating profile listed him as 46.
Was Grant Bovey married to Anthea Turner?
Ans: Yes. They married in August 2000 and divorced in 2015 on the grounds of his adultery, a marriage of 15 years.
Why did Grant Bovey and Anthea Turner split up?
Ans: He had an affair with interior designer Zoe de Mallett Morgan. Turner confirmed the separation in 2013 after discovering he had lied to her.
Did Grant Bovey go bankrupt?
Ans: Yes. He was declared bankrupt in 2010 after Imagine Homes collapsed with debts of around £50m. He was discharged in March 2011.
What is Grant Bovey doing now?
Ans: He holds active company directorships, including Alexa Homes South West Limited, and now lives privately.
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