Petra buys mansion for dogs

The House London - Arabstoday She had claimed it was to let her spend time between Britain and America more easily. But now Petra Ecclestone has revealed the real reason why she bought her £52million Los Angeles mansion - so her miniature dogs can have more space. The 22-year-old has admitted that concern for her five pets was why she splashed out her father’s money on the 14-bedroom property. Even though she already has a six-story £56 million mansion in Chelsea, Ms Ecclestone felt that they deserved more room to live, she said. Now that the dogs have homes on two sides of the Atlantic, they are beginning to rival their owner - once dubbed ‘the most spoilt girl in Britain’ - for over pampering. The Los Angeles property is a sprawling 57,000 square foot house called The Manor which was built by the late TV producer Aaron Spelling who was responsible for such shows as Dallas and Charlie’s Angels. Built in the style of a French chateau it is located in the exclusive Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. It has a huge garden in the front and the back, a swimming pool and a double staircase that was inspired by one featured in ‘Gone with the Wind’. In an interview Ms Ecclestone said that she persuaded her father, billionaire Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, to buy her the property because she thought it was ‘homey and livable’ ‘I didn’t want a modern kind of house,’ she said. ‘It was a great investment at the end of the day’. Ms Ecclestone added that she had to also think about her miniature dogs. ‘It’s important for them to be able to have space,’ she said. The pets include a Rottweiler and a Bulldog which will now apparently feel more comfortable having even more room to wander around. Ms Ecclestone is currently living at the mansion with new husband James Stunt, 28, whom she married last month at a lavish ceremony at 15th Century Odescalchi Castle in Italy where the entertainment was provided by Eric Clapton and the Black Eyed Peas. The property had been sold by Mr Spelling’s widow Candy, mother of actress Tori Spelling. When it was first listed in 2009 it was the most expensive property on sale in America at the time. Its other features include a beauty salon, several gift-wrapping rooms, a spectacular dining room and a huge entrance lobby with chandeliers around which snakes the Gone with the Wind staircase In the interview Ms Ecclestone said that moving to Los Angeles had given her a chance to settle down and work on being a fashion designer. ‘My full-time job isn’t just blowing my parents’ money,’ she said. ‘I go to the occasional party, if it benefits my business, or it’s a charity, or a friend’s party, that’s fine. ‘But, I mean, it’s not like I go to parties Monday to Friday. I’m not on the social scene, particularly.’ Ms Ecclestone is not the first in her family to make adjustments to her property in order to accommodate their pets. Her sister Tamara, 27, has reportedly spent £10million on renovations to her new £60million home in Kensington in West London including a spa for her dogs. The bubbling bath apparently includes crystal-studded seats for the pets to lounge on.