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Uri Geller Photo: Glyn Ridgers
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Speaking to Psychic News from his home in Sonning, Berkshire, early in September, Uri explained:
“From the first day I left Israel, in June 1972, I always had this aching desire, this yearning, to go back to my homeland. I never knew I would be out of Israel for so long.”
In the early part of his career, Uri lived in America, Japan and Germany before choosing Sonning to be his permanent home. It was there that celebrities and family celebrated the renewal of Uri’s and Hannah’s wedding vows in March 2001. Michael Jackson was best man.
But the pull of his homeland has proved stronger, so he and his wife Hannah have bought a home in Jaffa.
He confesses: “I will miss everything about England. Instead of sitting in a very luxurious house overlooking the River Thames and seeing boats pass by, we will be in a tiny apartment in Old Jaffa, which is 5,000 years old, and we’ll overlook the Mediterranean, with views of palm trees, archaeological sites and a Greek church.”
One factor in his decision is the way in which the world has changed since he first made headlines around the world.
“The world is now a tiny village – it’s a global village – because the internet rules the world. We all have computers and mobile phones, as well as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Facetime and so much more. It’s amazing.
“My daughter Natalie lives in Los Angeles, yet I see her every day on my iPad. So, it doesn’t matter where I am as long as I have the set up of my communications globally, and I’ve decided I’d rather be in my homeland, which I love so dearly.
“My son Daniel is a very successful barrister, a prosecutor, in London, so I’ll be visiting him a lot. I will also return regularly to visit my mother’s grave in Sonning. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll sell my house or keep it.”
Uri soon dispels any suggestion that he may be retiring.
It was in Israel that Uri launched a very successful TV show 10 years ago to find The Next Uri Geller. That concept went worldwide and involved Uri appearing in various adaptations, such as The Successor, Phenomena and The New Uri Geller in 20 other countries.
“Now I’ve come up with a new format in the same genre, Mind Masters Live, which was immediately snapped up by Dutch TV’s SBS6,” Uri explains. “It’s a live family entertainment show, in which I and the phenomenal mentalist Walter Rolfo will battle each other with a team of eight mentalists. It launches in November and will feature apparent demonstrations of telekinesis, mind reading and other strange phenomena.”
Uri hopes that the show’s ratings will result in it being taken up by other TV companies around the world.
“It just means that instead of flying out from London every weekend to Amsterdam for the 12 episodes of the live show, I will be flying from Tel Aviv.”
