Celebrities and their Sussex businesses including Fatboy Slim, John Snow, Peter Andre, Alan Minter

A host of celebrities are known to have lived in Sussex over the years. From Hollywood stars to sports icons, the county has seen it all.

But alongside those who have lived quiet lives in the county away from the limelight, some have also plied their trades within our borders. Some celebrities have also had more success than others.

While many of the county’s biggest names like Romesh Ranganathan and Paul McCartney have side businesses alongside their high-profile careers, they have been excluded from this list as their offices are elsewhere. Although these two are excluded, there have been a number of different businesses set up in Sussex over the years by a few unsuspecting people.

CONTINUE READING: The Ivy Chichester opening date has been announced as bookings open for a new restaurant

At SussexLive we have compiled a list of some of the celebrities who have run a business in Sussex over the years. From cafes to travel agencies, how many have you been to?

Fatboy Slim

Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) is one of the biggest names to have lived and worked in Sussex over the years. The famous couple, who were previously married to Sussex icon Zoe Ball, lived on Brighton’s high-profile Millionaire’s Row and were often spotted in Sussex.

While Norman has performed throughout Sussex over the years, including a high profile set on Brighton Beach, he has also run a successful business here for several years. Norman opened Big Beach Cafe, Hove in 2013 and it’s still growing in popularity, with generous portions of food sold at reasonable prices – the DJ extraordinaire has continued to make his mark in Sussex.

Peter Andre

Peter Andre lived in Sussex for many years and owned property in East Grinstead’s private Dormans Park. Peter bought the villa from another A-lister, Tom Cruise, in 2016 and lived there until 2017, having previously lived on a separate estate from Dormans until 2012.

While in Sussex, the Mysterious Girl singer opened a coffee shop in the early 2010s. The New York Coffee Club had two branches in East Grinstead and Brighton where fans lined up to sample some of its cupcakes when it opened – but a low hygiene rating and high rental costs led Andre to close both branches in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Jodie Kidd

Jodie Kidd is another famous face rooted in Sussex culture. Jodie was born in Guildford but raised in Petworth, West Sussex.

Prior to her successful modeling career, Jodie spent many years in Sussex and is said to have enjoyed her 21st birthday at the Half Moon Pub in Kirdford. The pub obviously left a lasting impression on her, because she later decided to buy the pub and run it to this day.

Alan Minter

Alan Minter is one of the biggest names associated with Crawley. The former world boxing champion joined Crawley Boxing Club when he was 11 and after making money from his boxing successes, in 1977 he bought the Ancient Priors, a 15th-century building which he turned into Minter’s Restaurant and Wine Bar renamed.

The outside sign showed a naked boxer and Minter ran the property until 1980 before it was sold in 1983. Alan remained popular in Crawley until his death in 2020 when his funeral procession passed his former restaurant.

John Snow

In this case, we’re not talking about the Game of Thrones character, nor the celebrity Channel 4 newscaster, who is also from Sussex, but the former England Test cricketer. Regarded as one of the best cricketers of all time in England and Sussex, Snow was known for his impressive fast bowling despite his relatively modest 5ft 11in height.

After retiring from cricket, Snow spent time in Crawley where he opened a travel agency. The travel agency was based at the city’s Broadfield Barton shopping parade, which is now home to stores like Poundland, Island and BoozeXpress.

Chris Eubank

Chris Eubank has become something of a Brighton icon over the years. The former boxing champion has lived in the city for a long time and with his eccentric personality ensures that he is never far from the spotlight.

While not having the same business style as the other celebrities on this list, Eubank previously owned a property in Brighton and developed it into a range of apartments. Chris bought the building he named Buckingham Place in 1994 and converted it into 69 flats for the homeless – in 2000 he sold the building for redevelopment.

Find out more about things to do in Sussex with our free What’s On email HERE .