Shilpa Shetty-Raj Kundra's £5m luxury mansion
Shilpa Shetty and her fiance Raj Kundra are planning to marry in October
Shilpa Shetty has spoken out against accusations she is a marriage wrecker, saying she only started a relationship with her new fiance after he got divorced.
Raj Kundra was separated when he met Shilpa, but his estranged wife publicly blamed the actress for the break-up of the marriage.
However, in this week's edition of Hello magazine, Shilpa refutes the allegations, saying: 'I made it clear to him that our relationship could go no further than friendship until he actually had his divorce.'
The Bollywood star found fame in Britain when she appeared alongside the late Jade Goody in Celebrity Big Brother - winning the series.
The 33-year-old met millionaire Kundra shortly afterwards, but after the two were photographed shopping together the resultant newspaper headlines caused her heartache.
'It actually made me feel physically ill,' she said. 'To be called a marriage-breaker was the worst thing possible. It brought such shame on to my parents, and I felt so bad for their sake.'
Shilpa claims it was only when his divorce was finalised that they began their relaitionship: 'To be honest, I think I was in love with Raj from day one – but I was in denial.'
The couple are planning to marry around October, and Shilpa says she can't wait to start a family.
'I’m desperate to start a family – I just love children, and we’ve a beautiful ready-made nursery. I want at least two children.'
They will be living in a £5million seven-bedroom mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, which Kundra bought when he was still married to his ex-wife
The couple show off one of the seven bedrooms in the new residence
It's on the exclusive St George's Hill estate, an enclave for the rich and famous, and Shilpa told Raj to hang on to the property after his marriage hit the rocks.
The high security on the estate is one reason the Bollywood star felt comfortable there but she also saw its potential as a family home.
Shilpa said: 'There is already a child's bedroom here because Raj has a nephew and I can certainly see my children running around this place.
'And there is enough space for us to live at one end while Raj's parents live at the other. In Indian culture you live as an extended family and this home is perfect for that.'
Luxury pad: The villa-style Weybridge home
An imposing tree-lined driveway leads past a horse statue to the side of the house where Raj parks his luxury car beneath triple balconies that make the most of the garden views.
From the pillared entrance, double doors lead into a grand hall with two reception rooms on the left and steps down to an indoor heated swimming pool.
There's no doubt 34-year-old London-born Raj, whose Dubai-based business trades precious stones and metals, intended this house - his very own Raj Mahal - as a family home when he bought it for £3.2million in 2006, even though he had a different family in mind.
He and his wife Kavita were living at the time in his parents' five-bedroom home in nearby Kingston upon Thames but Raj says he always wanted a house in St George's Hill.
There are only 420 houses on the estate, where celebrities such as Cliff Richard, Elton John and John Lennon have lived. So as soon as he could afford it, Raj snapped up a house for his parents and his wife, pregnant at the time with their two-year-old daughter Deveena.
All her own work: Shilpa furnished the home and make it snug and comfortable
He then began a £750,000 programme of renovations but when cracks began to appear in his marriage later that year his wife went to live with her parents in the Midlands.
Raj stayed at his parents' and put the house back on the market for £5.5million in early 2007, intending to sell when the renovations were complete.
'It was about that time I met Shilpa,' says Raj, 'and she said I must be mad to sell the house. As our relationship deepened she suggested making various changes and whenever she was in England we would go shopping for items of furniture and ornaments.
Now I feel she has gradually turned it into a proper home.'
Double doors lead into a grand hall with two reception rooms on the left and steps down to an indoor heated swimming pool
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