Jonathan Ross transforms London home into Halloween attraction for trick-or-treaters
After cancelling his annual spooky season bash, Jonathan Ross has transformed his London home into a Halloween attraction for trick-or-treaters.
Jonathan Ross has transformed his London home into a Halloween attraction for trick-or-treaters.
The chat show host, 64, was famous for his Halloween night party at his mansion, but has not hosted his legendary bash since before the pandemic, revealing he stopped the annual event out of consideration for his daughter, Betty Ross, who has fibromyalgia – a chronic condition that causes pain and fatigue.
But on Friday (31.01.25) evening, he put on an elaborate display in place of his once-famous celebrity parties.
The presenter and star of The Traitors, who was banished from the reality show earlier this week, said he felt it would not be fair to hold a raucous celebration while Betty was unwell.
Instead, he and his team have turned his home into a themed spectacle for families to enjoy from the street, featuring skulls, cobwebs and live performers.
In the days leading up to the event, lorries were seen delivering decorations and props to his north London property.
Speaking this week on The Traitors: Uncloaked, Jonathan told host Ed Gamble although he might one day revive the event, the cost of staging it was enormous.
He said: “I might do another one before I go, but they cost a fortune.”
Jonathan continued: “Because we became such a well-known event, every time I did something people would be like, ‘Are you doing a Halloween party?’ Of the adults I invited, I only genuinely knew 30 percent of them. And the others, I liked them all, but I didn’t know them.”
Jonathan’s annual party, held at his Hampstead home until 2019, was one of the most anticipated fixtures in the celebrity calendar.
Guests in previous years included Dame Joan Collins, Holly Willoughby, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Carr, Rita Ora, Michael McIntyre, Mel C, Katherine Ryan, Wallis Day, Joel Dommett, his wife Hannah Cooper and model Charli Howard.
Jonathan, who shares children Betty, Harvey Ross, and Honey Ross with his wife Jane Goldman, has spoken openly about the decision to scale back the festivities.
Last year he explained: “One of our children isn’t well… it’s fibromyalgia which is quite debilitating. She’s back home with us and we’re looking after her.
“My daughter, we thought she had Long Covid but discovered that she had fibromyalgia, so we want to be conscious of that and not have so much noise when she’s upstairs.”
Betty confirmed the diagnosis on Instagram, writing: “Fibromyalgia? I hardly know her. This is me letting y’all know I got a fibromyalgia diagnosis. Shout out to the four people who all said they thought I had fibro, turns out y’all were right.
“There’s always a lot of weird feelings that come with a new diagnosis, but this one overall feels like a relief. It feels like my pain being acknowledged, and that with this diagnosis I can better find ways of managing my pain.”
Jonathan’s party was first cancelled in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and again the following year as Betty continued to struggle with her condition.
When the event returned in October 2022, it was held at Camden nightclub KOKO instead of at the family’s home – but this year, Jonathan opted to keep celebrations for trick-or-treaters.
