I’m a TV star and real life queen of a £5.5m castle but it’s not glamorous at all, insists Real Housewife
OWNING an historic picturesque castle is a fairytale fantasy that most will never get to experience.
But for Real Housewives of Toronto star and multimillionaire businesswoman Ann Kaplan, 63, it’s very much a reality.
Last summer Ann and her husband, esteemed plastic surgeon Stephen Mulholland, splashed out £5.5million on Grade I listed Lympne Castle, Kent.
It’s far from a vanity project for the couple, who are operating the 1,000-year-old landmark as a wedding venue and have grand plans for the years ahead.
Despite the hefty price tag, the castle requires many millions more pounds of investment to bring the whole site back to its best.
The true scale of the project became apparent after a £40,000 survey, which Ann brands a “disaster”, revealed the extent of the repairs needed.
Sewerage, gas and electric, WiFi and plumbing all needed to be addressed, with Ann saying “it needed a whole organ replacement”.
It prompted the couple to knock £1million off their purchase bid, a discount that was duly accepted by the previous owners.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Ann explains what the reality of being queen of the castle is really like.
She says: “It is not glamorous. As much as I have fun with it, I really am always a behind-the-scenes person except for when I’ve done television, but in my jobs years ago when I was going to university I was waitressing and bartending and I guess that’s front-facing.
“I like to be more of an orchestra leader so my back is to the audience and I’m running a business, and that’s where my mind is at.
“It’s always thinking about a business and so there’s a bit of an uncomfortable part when I’m front-facing because I’m always thinking ‘oh okay, did somebody put salt and pepper on that table? Did someone clear that table when they went by? Did they refill a coffee?’ Or something like that.
“When I’m in the castle I’m looking at the service end of it and I want to get up and wait tables and it’s hard for me not to walk by a table and then pick up a dirty plate or something like that and I end up doing that, which is almost funny.
“I end up going in the kitchen and helping with the dishes or seeing where I can do things and it’s a little bit not royal-like and it’s more management.”
CAREER CHANGE
Ann made her mark in the world of finance by founding Canadian fintech company iFinance in the mid 90s and developing it into a behemoth that has helped her personal wealth soar to an estimated £500m.
She and Stephen’s global property portfolio brings in more than £1million in rental money and her investment portfolio achieves a healthy return of more than £3million each year.
While there is plenty of cash coming in, there is plenty going out too with Ann estimating she and Stephen spend £60,000 a month on travel as well as six figures annually on their children’s higher education fees.
Reflecting on their castle purchase, Ann says: “I’ve gone from working in finance and sitting at the same desk for 25 years and then really making this decision to buy a castle and realising we’ve got a business now.
“So it’s a start-up, and what a learning curve. Not only has it been learning what the community is like and what they’re expecting but understanding the world of hospitality and weddings and restaurants and hotels and implementing systems.
I like to be more of an orchestra leader so my back is to the audience and I’m running a business, and that’s where my mind is at.
Ann Kaplan
“So we’re trying to hire locally. We’re trying to employ people and this was not how I set out a year ago. It was just, it would be fun to buy a castle.
“The idea is an interesting and almost romantic idea but the outcome is ‘how do I run a business? And how do I embrace a community? How do I create jobs?”
Lympne Castle currently has a staff of 30 and Ann is hoping to add another 15 to its ranks.
The couple aim to eventually break even as a wedding business and are committed to growing operations though accept that it won’t generate enough to cover the renovation costs of the castle itself.
They’re currently in the process of building a 210 seat venue on the site and most of Ann’s time is consumed by the business.
Under her watchful eye, some 20 bedrooms and 139 acres of wood and pasture land need taking care of in addition to four guest cottages, living areas and a number of walled gardens.
“I would say 75-80 per cent of my time is spent on the castle,” she says. “I’m up early early in the morning every day and I’m focused on the castle. I’m probably working I’d say 10 hours a day then outside of that I’m focused on my family and and just enjoying a moment.”
TELLY ATTRACTION
Her day to day work will be revealed on the small screen later this year in the form of a new reality TV show documenting life at Lympne.
While the production company and networks that have the rights to the project are currently under wraps, filming is due to begin in June and the programme is slated for a November or December premiere.
Ann says: “They are major networks – Australia, the UK, Canada and the US – and the it will be filmed in the UK. It’s all at the castle and it is fantastic because we are supporting the local community.
“It will bring people to recognise Lympne and Kent and it will bring a lot of support for the castle.
“It’s going to be a lot of behind-the-scenes of what happens when you are renovating a castle and what happens with the staff. It’s going to be really fun.”