I used to model for Dunnes Stores lingerie, so I had been to Ireland a few times, but only to Dublin, and that doesn’t quite count.
I was living in London when Kaz [Count Kazimierz Balinski-Jundzill, Sophie’s now-husband] began courting me. He was flying in and out of London, and he kept inviting me to Ireland, saying I had to come and see Glendalough House.
It was months before I agreed, and we had already fallen in love, but I was fighting it because I was determined to have some time to myself after being in another relationship. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
It was just before my 40th birthday, and Kaz picked me up from Dublin Airport. I remember coming off the motorway at Kilmacanogue and driving into the Wicklow Mountains. I was blown away by the beauty. Coming from the big city, it was mesmerising.
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I’d never asked Kaz that many questions, because he’s so down to earth, so I was really overwhelmed when we got to the estate gates and drove up the mile-long drive to the house. He’d never said that it was on 1,500 acres.
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The first six or seven times I came to stay here, I would get lost all the time in the house, it’s like a Tardis.
After a while, we wanted to take our relationship to the next level, but Kaz wouldn’t move to London, and he kept telling me to just take the leap of faith and move to Ireland. I was like, “What am I going to do in the Wicklow Mountains?”
I was living just off the King’s Road in London, close to my friends, and I was still modelling, but I was also trying to stay away from the public eye. I’ve become more insular as I’ve gotten older.
I made the move in 2018, and there were definitely teething problems in the beginning. I didn’t know anyone, and the supermarket was a 35-minute drive, so it took me a couple of years [to settle]. But over time, I found it harder and harder to leave, and now it’s the first place I can really call home.
I grew up in Bristol with my mother and stepfather, and I had an idyllic childhood. But the course of my life changed when I was hit by a drunk driver. I was 11 years old. I had 27 operations, and I didn’t walk for three years.
I think it’s a punishment to live with the memory of what you’ve done to someone else, especially a child. It’s one of the reasons I love living in Ireland: zero tolerance.
It was a tough time, and to boost my confidence, my friend entered me into some modelling competitions. I won all of them. I was signed to Elite, and I started working as a model in London. By 16, I was living in Tokyo, and that was it. I never went home.
The 90s in the fashion industry were the best time. Sometimes I was travelling to five countries a week. Most of the time I didn’t know what time zone I was in. It was a completely different world. I never knew what I was landing into; it could be a shoot for Vogue, and I was in couture, and then I’d be on the beach doing Sports Illustrated.
It was also a time when I just didn’t eat. We weren’t educated when it came to nutrition. I was so young when I went into the industry that all they ever did was weigh me. Now, I don’t weigh myself. When I go to the doctor or do any check-ups, I ask them not to tell me my weight.
I had to address my relationship with food in my 30s and do a total U-turn. I’d been doing yoga since I was a teenager, but I got really into training and exercise. I ran marathons and did some Tough Mudders. I kept giving myself challenges, and it got me into a programme of discipline, which I needed because I had such an erratic life.
Since I moved to Glendalough, I’ve been working on maintaining and updating the estate, which Kaz’s mother bought in 1986. It’s a big, old, grand house, and it’s become my passion to fix and smooth it step by step.
It’s a huge and beautiful estate with incredible energy. People always say that as soon as they come through the gates, their shoulders start dropping.
I had the idea to open Anam Kara wellness centre in the 465 square-metre south wing of the house after a brutal experience in an expensive gym. I’ve spent the past year getting it ready to welcome people in. We’re starting with aerial yoga, retreats and workshops, but I have so many ideas for the space, and there’s a lot in development.
I think everything that I’ve gone through in my life, the knowledge that I’ve accumulated, who I am now as a person, has led me to this point: to be able to do something where I can bring joy and luxury and put together a team that can help people heal and feel good on their wellness journey.
My life has become so simple, grounded, so full of love. It’s not that I disliked myself before, but I was complicated. Sophie Anderton was the past me. Since I got married and moved to Ireland, I’m finally finding who I truly am without all the trappings of my old career, and that’s incredibly liberating.
In conversation with Rosanna Cooney. This interview is part of a series with well-known people about their lives and relationship with Ireland. For more about Anam Kara, follow @anamkarawellness on Instagram.
