mie Yeo Moving To England With Her Family Next Year
The former DJ and her British husband have been planning the move for two years and are looking forward to spending more time with his parents.1.5-min read
10 NOV 2021 22:00
UPDATED 10 NOV 2021 19:30
2022's gonna be a year of change for former radio DJ Jamie Yeo.
The 44-year-old shared on Instagram on Nov 7 that she and her family are "ready to buy that home in England”. She previously told 8days.sg in an interview that she dreams of "moving to the UK and having a big space and garden”.
In her Instagram caption, Jamie added that she thinks her upcoming move to the UK would be a good change for her kids, Alysia, 11, and Luke, four. Alysia is Jamie's daughter with her ex-husband, Englishman Thorsten Nolte, whom she divorced in 2015. In 2017, Jamie got hitched to British consultant Rupert, with whom she has Luke.
"[The kids] are too indulged at the moment and it would do them good to be without an Aunty picking up after them, among other things. Living in America when I was a teen gave me confidence and social EQ. Also taught me to be independent. I want that for the kids,” she wrote.
In a phone interview with 8days.sg, Jamie revealed more about her big move.
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A whole new experience
According to Jamie, she’s been planning this with Rupert for “around two years”. However, their plans were thwarted due to the pandemic, and they only discussed the move again after travel restrictions started easing.
"I've already paid the visa company in the UK like $3000 to help me sort out my visa, so it’s pretty confirmed,” Jamie said. When the move happens, Rupert will be "taking his business which he already manages and founded to the UK".
"The thing about COVID is that it has really enabled people to work remotely, so he has been servicing clients from Australia and Europe already. So moving back would be better for him than staying here,” she said.
As for her jewellery line, Lula J, which she started last year, Jamie would be hiring someone full-time to take care of the day-to-day business operations here in Singapore, while she continues working on it from England.
"I'm still gonna be doing my social media job, so I've got a few clients who are happy to continue working with me," she said. "I mean the world is so small, and my platform still reaches out to 80 per cent Singaporeans, so I'm going to be doing stuff like that. And there's so many flights between Singapore and London every day, so it's gonna be quite easy to come back, like Sharon Au, you know. She flies between Singapore and Paris a lot."
"We're keeping our apartment here [in Singapore too] 'cos we definitely plan to come back quite a bit. We're not closing any options, you can easily straddle a couple of homes around the world, you never know," she added.
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The family last visited England when Luke was barely one
So which city will Jamie and her family be settling in?
As of now, the couple is still undecided, although they’ve since narrowed down the search to places outside London.
"We're looking at the educational centres so it's either Bath or Cambridge, Oxford, or Exeter, which is further down the south-west of the coast 'cos they are all really good university towns. When you settle around a university town, the vibe is a bit more vibrant and 'cos of the strong academic background, you've got quite a few good state schools [there too],” Jamie said.
Speaking of education, Jamie's daughter Aly will not be taking the PSLE here in Singapore.
"I would have liked to actually let her finish her PSLE first 'cos it's actually good training. I don't think there's anything bad about our system. I went to the States when I was in Sec 1, so I took the PSLE already. When I was there, I really breezed through high school 'cos we were taught so much in the first six years of primary school. I think it's just that our education system doesn't suit like every single kid,” said Jamie, who went on to share that Aly’s “really stubborn” and isn’t a big fan of studying.
"She just won't study on her own and she's only managed to get by 'cos I spent so much money on tutors, to sit with her while she does her homework,” she added.
"[But] it's not like [studying in] England’s gonna be easier. They still have the A Levels, right? She's still gonna go through the same education system, the only thing different is [that she’s not taking the] PSLE,” Jamie said.
