Back in California she had surf, sunshine and wineries – not to mention Harry and Meghan as neighbours – only to sell her home for £25.6million and start a new life in the UK after Donald Trump‘s election victory last year.

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Ellen DeGeneres's cold Cotswolds welcome from heiress  over planning clash when building extension to her farmhouse | Daily Mail  Online

But might Ellen DeGeneres now regret her decision? I can disclose that, just a couple of weeks after she made a trip back to Montecito, the retired chat show host is in peril of getting on the wrong side of heiress Rosie Pearson, the youngest of the late Viscount Cowdray’s six offspring.

It transpires that Ellen, 67, committed a ‘technical breach’ when building a single-storey extension to the Cotswolds farmhouse she and her wife, Ally McBeal star Portia de Rossi, who yesterday celebrated her 52nd birthday, now call home.

Ellen snapped up the property in June for £15million – some £2.5million over the asking price.

The proposed work might sound unexceptional. But three parish councillors – including Rosie, 65 – feared that it could disturb Roman remains, which prompted them to contact local planning enforcement officers.

‘The onus is on the owner to report any historic remains uncovered,’ records a note from the parish council minutes.

It adds: ‘Concern was expressed by residents that the hedge and wire fence could increase flood risk in the village’ if rubbish was swept down and ‘caught on the fence’, thereby ‘limiting flow across the field’.

Ellen, who retired last year after a challenging period in which she was accused of creating a ‘toxic’ on-set atmosphere, might have hoped for a gentler embrace in the Cotswolds, where residents include Kate MossJeremy Clarkson and, from time to time, the Beckhams.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2020
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Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2020

Ellen DeGeneres walks onstage during the Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry Tour at Warner Theatre on November 15, 2022
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Ellen DeGeneres walks onstage during the Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry Tour at Warner Theatre on November 15, 2022