Ben Fogle’s wife Marina admits she feared their marriage wouldn’t last after their first Christmas together when she bought him practical gifts including a toilet roll holder and doormat instead of thoughtful presents
Ben Fogle’s wife, Marina, has confessed that she feared their marriage “wouldn’t last” after making a significant blunder. The couple first crossed paths while walking their dogs in London’s Hyde Park.
The duo exchanged vows in the medieval village of Monsaraz in Portugal in 2006, following a whirlwind romance. However, Marina confesses that she had concerns about the longevity of their marriage after their first Christmas together.
She concedes that the festive season “didn’t start well” as Ben hails from a “family of intuitively good gift givers”, whereas she tends to be a more “practical” present-buyer. Marina even goes so far as to describe herself as “absolutely hopeless” when it comes to purchasing gifts.
In an article for The Times, she revealed: “It didn’t start well with my husband, Ben, who comes from a family of intuitively good gift givers. They all gather together, giving each other rare little antiques that they’ve stumbled upon in an Amsterdam flea market, the kind of thing you can’t find anywhere else and whose presence on your shelf is a constant reminder of their love and understanding of you.”
Marina explains that her own family have a more “practical” approach to Christmas, which led her to visit John Lewis after the couple moved into their first home together. However, she admits that Ben had a look of “disappointment on his face” when he unwrapped his present, reports Wales Online.
Instead of a sentimental memento, Marina reveals she gifted Ben a set of phones – complete with an integrated answering machine – a “cluster of remote control lamp plugs”, a loo roll holder and a doormat. In return, Ben presented his new bride with a ring embellished with three emeralds to represent him and their two pet dogs.
Marina quipped: “Part of him had to be wondering how long this marriage would last.”
Despite the rocky start, Marina says she has enjoyed “some successes” over the years. She fondly recalls the time she surprised Ben with a portrait of his cherished dog Inca, painted by artists Olly and Suzi.
However, heartbreak ensued when Inca passed away just before she could give Ben his 40th birthday present. As a tribute to Inca, Marina decided to give Ben his gift early, leaving the reality star “lost for words”.
She admits that the Animal Park host is “not easy to buy for” and tends to “tendency to buy everything he wants” before Christmas.
While he appreciates thoughtful gifts, Marina says Ben “doesn’t always get it right,” pointing out the time he purchased a “beautifully crafted” folding bar that she “despised”.
With “nothing left to buy” for Ben, she jests that she’s found a “cleverly designed bread knife, an electric barbecue cleaner and an in-flight neck support” in her present drawer.
