Sophie Ellis Bextor’s son Sonny has revealed why he moved in with his grandmother Janet Ellis in a new interview as he gave a sweet insight into their relationship.
Singer Sophie, 45, shares Sonny, 20, Kit, 15, Ray, 12, Jesse, eight, and Mickey, five, with husband Richard Jones, 43, bassist in The Feeling.
But last year Sonny moved out of his west London family home to be with his grandmother and former Blue Peter presenter Janet, 68.
Now speaking to The Times, Sonny has explained his reasons for the move and sweetly said him and Janet are now ‘closer than ever’.
He said: ‘I think it got to the point, back home, where I needed more space. Three of my brothers shared a room. The only time the house got quiet was when everyone was in bed.
‘So when I was coming to the end of school, my grandmother asked if I wanted to move in. I’ve been coming here all my life, so it’s always felt like a second home anyway.’
He added that there are no house rules living with her but that he does help with the laundry and washing up, but explained that ‘nothing is forced’.
Sonny and Janet often eat together, with Janet cooking for him – but they ‘mostly do their own thing’.
On his future plans he said: ‘I’m not sure how long I’ll stay here. If I did move out, I would want it to be somewhere nice, and that would be expensive.
‘But I think if I did leave, I’d miss the home comforts. I would also miss my grandmother. We’ve always been close but we’re closer than ever now.’
Janet told how she was happy for the company in the five-bedroom house that felt ’empty’ after her husband of 32 years John died from cancer in 2020.
Last year Sophie said of the arrangement last year: ‘My oldest son is 19 now and he’s just moved out to live my mum, 10 minutes away, it’s quite wholesome!’
Of her brood, she added: ‘I have five boys but I don’t have five of the same person some of them love music and others don’t.
‘I have one still at home who never wants to come to any of my gigs. But the majority of them like music actually.
‘Five of anything is a lot. I love the chaos of big family life luckily. There are always things happening. One is running another has brought four friends over.
‘It’s a good antidote to the darkness sometimes. They never ask “how did your gig go?” They just tell me about their day and I like that.’
Sophie previously discussed life with her big brood as she spoke on the Lockdown Parenting Hell podcast, saying: ‘If I hadn’t had five I think I would have just had one. It was all or nothing.
‘I think I am so close to being dead with how tiring it is.’
Asked if she plans on having more children, Sophie mused: ‘It is tricky. My youngest is nearly three. So I am at that point when they’d normally be another one.
‘But I am 42 so it’s probably time to just watch them grow up now. It’s hard though. Tricky. I am not one of those people who can form the sentence: “I am done” – I’ve never been able to form the sentence. It is like my mouth goes… [silent].’
Discussing how her husband feels about them having so many kids, Sophie said: ‘He is pretty chill… Rich. I don’t think he instigated many of the last few to be honest. He just kind of went… ok then.
‘When I was little I was an only child until I was 8. Then my brother Jackson was born and I was absolutely obsessed with him and I think that sowed the seed.
‘He [Jackson] was a fresh start and that’s something that’s hardwired in me. That babies are good.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
