GB News Breakfast presenter Ellie Costello has given fans a first peek at her long-awaited honeymoon getaway, 24 hours after she revealed on Tuesday that she is stepping away from the morning programme to embark on the trip.
Yesterday, the presenter shared her excitement with viewers, announcing she would be jetting off on a safari adventure – a trip she has always dreamed of taking.
Speaking on air alongside Eamonn Holmes, Ellie explained the half-year delay between her summer nuptials and the honeymoon.
"We had to have this gap because we got married six months ago, and you all know it was an extravaganza in South France," she told viewers.
Ellie Costello is currently on a break from Breakfast
|GB NEWS
Eamonn quipped about the timing: "She got married last summer, and now she's got the honeymoon."
The 31-year-old first exchanged vows with her partner, Gerard Durkan, at Chelsea Old Town Hall on April 12 in an intimate civil ceremony.
Three months later, the couple celebrated again with a gorgeous three-day affair at Chateau de Robernier, a historic 16th-century castle in Provence that locals have nicknamed the "sleeping beauty castle".
24 hours after announcing her temporary absence from Breakfast, Ellie has taken to Instagram to share a peek at how she and her other half are celebrating their romantic getaway.
Ellie Costello kicked off her honeymoon in style
|The People's Channel fan-favourite shared a snap from her seat on board the British Airways flight to Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday morning.
Getting into the honeymoon spirit, a glass could be seen on the side ahead of the long-haul flight in business class.
Ellie completed the update with the emojis of a pot of honey and a half-moon, symbolising, of course, "honeymoon".
The GB News star and her beau met at university. The two branded their French wedding the ceremony of "their dreams".
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Ellie Costello regularly fronts Breakfast with Eamonn Holmes
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"We definitely felt like this was our real wedding," Ellie told the Daily Mail last year following her nuptials.
"We got married in a church, we exchanged rings, and we literally 'tied the knot,' which is an ancient Celtic tradition of having the priest tie a knot over your hands to represent your lives being bound together."
The festivities at the Provence venue included a rose pool party with free-flowing drinks, while the couple paid tribute to their Irish roots with a traditional Irish band and open mic session on the final evening.
Fellow GB News presenter Stephen Dixon, who co-hosts the Thursday and Friday breakfast shows with Ellie, was among those attending the celebration.
For her civil ceremony, the bride wore a long-sleeved white mini dress with buttons, while her French wedding called for a more traditional gown by Allure Bridals and Jimmy.
"It was the wedding of our dreams," Ellie said. "The atmosphere was electric, and our guests told us they thought they were in a film."
The presenter took on the role of wedding planner herself for both ceremonies, a decision she admitted left her exhausted.
"There wasn't a wedding planner. I was the wedding planner, and it took it out of me," Ellie explained at the time. "It knocked the stuffing out of me."
Despite the demanding preparation, Ellie described the outcome as everything she had hoped for.
"It's everything we could possibly have hoped for," she said.
No doubt the honeymoon will also live up to expectations as Ellie and Gerard soak in the sights in Kenya for their once-in-a-lifetime getaway.