John Leslie buys out ‘complaining’ neighbour

By Alexander Lawrie
 

FORMER telly favourite John Leslie has splashed out half a million pounds to get rid of his next door neighbour – after she complained about his plans for a roof terrace.

The shamed star’s plans to convert an Edinburgh old folk’s home into four luxury flats complete with roof terrace were met with anger by his neighbours when details of the conversion were announced.

Leslie, 44, wanted to include the stylish roof terrace within the property, but neighbours quickly moved to kill off those plans due to concerns over privacy.

The most vociferous complainer was 63 year-old Esther Hey who lived in the bungalow next door to Leslie’s £2.5 million property.

She claimed the proposed balcony would have views directly into her bedroom.

But, now it has been revealed Leslie splashed out £495,000 last April to buy Ms Hey’s three-bedroomed bungalow.

The move could now lead to the 6ft 5” Hibs supporter to re-apply to Edinburgh Council in a bid to have the roof terrace installed.

Moved into bungalow

Ms Hey, who also originally sold the Georgian mansion to Leslie, has now taken an estimated £1.75 million from the disgraced television presenter.

After selling the large former-nursing home to Leslie in 2006, Ms Hey moved into the small bungalow next door.

Leslie splashed out £1.25 million on the Edinburgh mansion in December 2006, and applied for planning permission to convert it into four luxury apartments.

However, the controversial application caused outrage amongst his concerned neighbours who claimed it was a potential death trap. 

They said there would be an overspill of cars onto the main road, just yards from an already notorious accident black spot.

At the time one neighbour said: “I have spoken to a lot of people in the area and we all agree it is a reckless application.

“With the overspill of cars parked directly on the corner, the street will become very congested and even more of a death trap, especially in winter.”

An official complaint was lodged with Edinburgh City Council in March 2007.

Plans dropped

The application again hit controversy in May 2007 when Leslie was forced to shelve plans for the balcony and enlarged windows which would have overlooked a series of houses and back gardens, including Ms Hey’s.

After being forced to abandon the plans for the large roof terrace, Leslie’s application was eventually approved by Edinburgh City Council in June 2007.

The renovation of the former-nursing home is now complete and Leslie has slapped an £2.5 million asking price on the property.

But his latest big money buy now leaves questions over what he plans to do next with the development.

The eight-bedroomed house in Edinburgh’s upmarket Morningside area went on the market two weeks ago.

One property expert predicted the recession wouldn’t affect Edinburghborn Leslie’s profit margin.

ESPC business analyst David Marshall said: “There is no part of the market which is unaffected or has been exempt from what has been happening.

“But the types of people bidding for this property are less likely to be affected.

“I would not suspect many potential buyers would be considering a 100 per cent mortgage on this kind of property.

“There are still buyers out there and my suspicion would be they would not be affected as severely as others by the current situation.”

Stunning views

The ex-Wheel of Fortune star has transformed the former-nursing home into a state-of-the-art family home.

It boasts stunning views of the Edinburgh skyline including the Castle, Salisbury Craggs and the Braid Hills.

The stunning villa features a drawing room, formal dining room, kitchen/dining room, media room, garden room, library and eight bathrooms.

Leslie turned to property development after his TV career hit the rocks in 2002 amid sex charges which were eventually dropped.

The same year, a home made porn movie filmed by Leslie, featuring his ex-girlfriend Abi Tittmus, and a second woman, found its way onto the internet.

The former-This Morning host has already renovated and sold a nine-bedroom former old people’s home in Chiswick, West London.

And more recently, Leslie upgraded an Edinburgh house for his parents and has also put another property next door up for sale.

Grant Stott training for bikeathon in memory of dead best pal

By Oliver Farrimond

BIG-hearted Scottish TV star Grant Stott is training for the annual Glasgow Bikeathon in memory of his dead best pal.

The Forth One presenter is taking part in the 26-mile charity stunt to raise money to find a cure for leukaemia – the disease that killed best friend Moray Fotheringham.

The pair were inseparable after leaving school together, and Stott described the news of his friend’s death as like being “punched in the stomach”.

The ex-Scotsport host said: “We were all pals right through school, through marriages and children.

“All the guys stayed in touch. We were all at Moray’s wedding and he was over the moon when his little boy Harry arrived.

“Eight of us were saving £20 a month for a boys’ trip to Las Vegas for our 40th birthdays – but Moray never made it.”

Father-of-one Moray was working in Edinburgh for his family’s distribution firm with his wife and baby Harry in 2004 when he fell ill.

He was struck down with a chest infection after starting a gruelling course of chemotherapy, and died just two weeks later and before little Harry’s first birthday.

Stott said: “I just couldn’t believe it – leukaemia was a disease I associated with young children, not men in their 30s.

“We went to see him in the hospital after we found out, and he seemed quite nervous but upbeat.

“It was the last time I saw him.”

His old school pals from James Gillespie’s High in Edinburgh still meet up every year on the anniversary of his death.

Dad-of-two Stott said that Moray would be happy to know they were helping others.

He said: “Anything we can do in our own little way for him, we’re going to do it.”

Hearts Legend’s Cheeky Move

By Alexander Lawrie

ONE of Scotland’s top football bosses has bared all in an online film to raise awareness for a cancer charity.

Dundee Utd manager Craig Levein’s cheeky move came as he appeared in a five-minute charity film for Prostate Scotland.

During the spoof sports-show ad Levein is seen being interviewed by radio personality Grant Stott before turning on his heels and showing off his bare backside.

The hilarious advert is currently the talk of football forums up and down the country.

Hearts legend Levein is joined in light-hearted charity promo by Stott and former Scotland rugby captain Chris Patterson.

The film coincides with the launch of the website for Edinburgh-based charity Prostate Scotland, an organisation which hopes to raise awareness of the disease and to encourage men to discuss their own health.

It is estimated that almost half (43%) of Scottish men will be affected by prostate cancer sometime in their lives, and between 2000-06 a massive 5457 men died in Scotland from the disease.

The charity has recruited Levein, Stott and Patterson to help persuade Scots men that visiting their GP need not be embarrassing.

Former Scottish-internationalist Levein has a personal interest in the cause after close friend and Dundee Utd chairman Eddie Thomson died from the disease last year.

In the five minute clip – available from today on the charity’s website – Levein and Patterson recreate a sports show format and give spoof after-match interviews on the subject of prostate cancer with presenter Stott.

The hilarious clip then ends with Levein walking away from the camera in a hospital gown revealing his bare behind.

Describing the operation Levein says: “The thing was – I just didn’t know what to expect.

“I just had to get in there, do what needed to be done and, hopefully, get a good result.”

Recent research shows a massive 89 per cent did not know the function the prostate, while two thirds (66%) don’t know where the prostate is located.

Survival rates are around 80 per cent, but early detection is key to this statistic.

Robert Wilson, chairman of Prostate Scotland, said: “The research proved there is a lack of awareness, with only 28 per cent of people surveyed being close to aware of the prevalence of prostate disease.

“The website contains some important awareness materials to help reverse this gap in information.”

Presenter Grant Stott admitted he “couldn’t believe the figures of people at risk were so high”.

He said: “I just had to help raise awareness of this common but often unspoken disease and, hopefully, encourage more people to talk openly about a subject which shouldn’t be taboo.”