'DEATH IN PARADISE' STAR ELIZABETH BOURGINE ON BEING A CARIBBEAN QUEEN WITH A PARISIAN TOUCH

'I love Paris. I love the colour of the light, the colour of the buildings- everything'

- EMMY GRIFFITHS

A far cry from the sandy beaches of Guadeloupe, the Caribbean location of the BBC’s hit series Death in Paradise, Elizabeth Bourgine is snuggled up in Paris after braving the elements on a snowy day for her exclusive photoshoot with HELLO!.

The actress, who plays beach-bar owner Catherine Bordey in the murder mysteries, says of our shoot: “It was really slippery, but beautiful. It was very cold outside, but we did it. I was smiling in the sun as if it was June!”

Paris is her home and where she lives with her husband, writer Jean-Luc Miesch, but 66-year-old Elizabeth gets plenty of sunshine at her alternative base in the South of France, as well as while filming in Guadeloupe.

“I love Paris because I have all my memories here: when I had my first bicycle, when I went to the theatre for the first time. I was very young, it was like guignol [puppet theatre],” she says in her delectable French accent. “I love Paris because I just feel at home. I love the colour of the light, the colour of the buildings, everything. I love it. I feel comfortable here.”

FAMILY FIRST

Adding to the attraction is the fact it is also where their son Jules Miesch, 33, who is also an actor, is based. “We’re all in Paris,” Elizabeth says. “My husband and I are near the Luxembourg Garden, one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

“Jules wanted to be a chef when he was young and worked with Alain Ducasse, Joël Robuchon,” she adds. “He worked in a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. He did this for two years and then he said: ‘It’s not my life. I want to stop. I want to be an actor.’ I said: ‘Oh, come on!’