Kelly Hoppen is a British interior designer, author, and proprietor of the design company Kelly Hoppen Interiors. She has penned numerous design books, receiving much critical acclaim and gaining recognition after the publication of her 1st book East Meets West in 1997. Kelly has appeared on several TV shows, having been a “Dragon” on BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den (2013-2015) and a guest judge on BBC Two’s The Great Interior Design Challenge (2016), and has starred in various movies such as Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016) where she had made a cameo appearance. She is the recipient of a number of awards including being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for her services to Interior Design.
Born Name
Kelly Elaine Hoppen
Nick Name
Kelly
Kelly Hoppen in December 2019 talking about posting Christmas tips on decorating the tree as well as on wreath making (Kelly Hoppen / Instagram)
Kelly Hoppen as seen in August 2020 (Kelly Hoppen / Instagram)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 4 in or 162.5 cm
Weight
48 kg or 106 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
She has dated –
Graham Corrett (1982-1989) – She married Graham in 1982. They got divorced in 1989. They have a daughter, the vegetarian chef, and food writer Natasha Corrett (b. July 1983).
Edwin Miller (1989-2003) – She tied the knot with Edwin in 1989. They divorced in 2003.
Nicky Clarke – She had a relationship with celebrity mane manager Nicky Clarke.
Sol Campbell – She used to date footballer Sol Campbell.
Race / Ethnicity
White
She has Estonian-Jewish ancestry on her mother’s side of the family and Irish-Jewish ancestry on her father’s side.
Hair Color
Blonde
She often tends to dye her hair in different shades.
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Sharp features
Shapely lips
Religion
Judaism
Kelly Hoppen Favorite Things
Best Friend – Victoria Beckham, having designed the interior of the singer’s London pad
Tones She Has Been Fond Of – Cream, taupe and neutral
Kelly Hoppen in July 2020 flaunting her fashionable mask (Kelly Hoppen / Instagram)
Kelly Hoppen Facts
Her family had shifted to London when she was 2 years old after which she had briefly returned to South Africa when her father passed away.
She has recalled that when she was a child, she would constantly rearrange the furniture in the house that would vex her mother. However, the experience never put her off and she could grow up to become a professional rearranger.
Hoppen began her career in interior design at the age of 16 when she had got the opportunity to design a family friend’s kitchen. Apart from having designed for many celebrities, she has also designed the homes, yachts, and jets of private clients, along with commercial projects in numerous countries, including hotels, offices, and aircraft.
She has the dressing room in the Elstree Studios in London named after her, the room having been called the “Kelly Hoppen Dressing Room”.
Kelly has stated that she has enjoyed working with all her clients having realized that designing someone’s home involves creating something that reflects their nature and taste. She has always stuck to her core design principles but has admitted that the best part about working with individuals has been getting to know them and finding out what they truly love, using that insight to create an interior that is distinctive to them.
In 2022, Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer after ignoring mammograms for almost 8 years. She later revealed that she had been diagnosed with “ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)”, which is the earliest possible form of breast cancer.
