Photo credit: Vincent Roche
Gerard Depardieu has reportedly bought himself a new house in Nechin.
The property, located in a village just across the border between Belgium and France, may not be the same as a grand Paris mansion, but comes with its own charms, as the actor appears to be fleeing France's new taxes.
And he is in good company. The village home sees Depardieu shack up next to several wealthy house hunters, including Christian Dior and Bernard Arnault, who have turned Nechin into "a colony for French exiles", according toThe Telegraph.
The move follows the introduction of a 75 per cent levy on all earnings over €1 million by President Francois Hollande.
Belgian newspaper Le Soir said: "The issue has not yet received an official response but one thing is certain: on Monday, the actor and businessman made a detour through the border town of Estaimpuis to a notary to sign the purchase of a property in Nechin."
The actor was spotted by members of the press in La Ferme du Chateau, a gourmet restaurant in the tiny Belgium town, where French citizens account for 27 per cent of the population.
While no officials, including Nechin's mayor, have confirmed the transaction, the media say Depardieu's new home is a mansion spanning 2,200 square feet with a wine cellar and large landscaped garden.
Click here for celebrity property news:
http://www.themovechannel.com/news/celebrities_and_gossip/