EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS
OPENING THE DOORS TO DEVON’S MAGNIFICENT LANGDON COURT
THE ‘JEAN QUEEN’ AND HUSBAND ROBERT WALTON ON LIVING THEIR ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE DREAM
When Donna Ida Thornton celebrated her half-century last year, it marked a turning point in her life.
“Everything leading up to this was my training ground, and now I’m executing everything I learnt in the first 50 years,” the Australian fashion designer tells HELLO! as she and her husband Robert Walton open the doors to their magnificent 16th-century manor house in Devon.
“I’m armed and dangerous now, and I feel amazing,” adds the businesswoman, now 51, whose denim empire Donna Ida has earnt her the nickname “Jean Queen” and a celebrity fanbase including Amanda Holden, Jodie Kidd, Anthea Turner and Millie Mackintosh.
Part of Donna’s new chapter in life is living out her dream of setting up home in the English countryside at Langdon Court.
With her creative flair and Robert’s status as the godfather of hospitality, counting top chefs Raymond Blanc and Heston Blumenthal among his inner circle, the couple had all bases covered when it came to overseeing a multimillion-pound restoration of the beautiful grade II-listed Jacobean manor house they bought in 2021.
And as they welcome us for this exclusive photoshoot, it’s clear to see that their labour of love has paid off. “We’re living a modern-day Good Life,” says chef and restaurateur Robert, 68, who was awarded an MBE in 2007 for services to the hospitality industry.
A classically stylish oasis nestled in the heart of the South Devon countryside, Langdon Court is not just a home for Donna and Robert – who married in London in 2010 after meeting in one of Donna’s boutique stores – but a luxurious private-hire venue that plays host to weddings, photoshoots and wellness retreats.
