HOME TRUTHS - 'OUR MARRIAGE WORKS BECAUSE WE'RE COMPLETE OPPOSITES'

CELEBRITY MAKE-UP ARTIST GARY COCKERILL AND PROPERTY DEVELOPER PHILL TURNER ON LASTING LOVE, FIGHTING OVER WALLPAPER AND ENTERTAINING FAMOUS FRIENDS

- RHONA MERCER  

As they get comfortable on their burnt orange velvet sofa and pour themselves a large glass of rosé, make-up artist to the stars Gary Cockerill, who turns 54 this week, and his husband Phill Turner, 54, look like a couple who are very happy with their lot.

The pair, who’ve been together for 31 years, have been posing for pictures in their stunning three-bedroom Hertfordshire home since 9am. By the time we sit down with them and their dogs, Matilda and Chloe, they’re happy to relax with a drink and tell us about the mammoth, two-year renovation project we see before us.

Being in the company of interior designer and property developer Phill, and Gary – who has worked with the likes of Eva Longoria, David Beckham, Kelly Brook and Martine McCutcheon, to mention just a few, and has his own range, Gary Cockerill Make Up Intelligence – is always entertaining, and they are hilariously honest about the various spats they’ve had while doing up their house.

But while Phill says they are “total opposites”, it’s clear that the pair – who became civil partners back in 2005, and got married in 2019 – are soulmates, and never happier than when they’re knee-deep in paint pots and wallpaper samples.

This isn’t the first building project they’ve done together, and it won’t be their last, with Gary telling us their 200-year-old flint cottage is “definitely not my forever house”. That said, they’re proud of their Berkhamsted pad, and can’t wait to show us the stunning walled garden, open-plan kitchen and orange room, which friends predicted would be a big challenge – but Gary knew Phill has the magic touch when it comes to renovations.