David Cameron freshened up after a night of revelry by enjoying a cold plunge at the beach as his birthday celebrations got underway.
The former prime minister joined friends for a swim on Saturday morning as they recovered from a boozy dinner hosted at his £2million holiday home in Cornwall on Friday night.
Lord Cameron, who turned 60 on Friday, emerged alongside five friends at 9am and headed straight into the water.
The strong winds and 13C weather didn’t stop him from venturing into the sea and riding the waves in front of a handful of locals.
Wearing blue and white striped shorts, he stayed in the water for a few minutes before walking along the beach and back to his house, where he is hosting more than 100 friends to mark his milestone birthday.
Shortly afterwards, he was seen greeting a number of friends at the St Moritz Hotel, a £500-a-night spa where some of his guests are staying.
Lord Cameron is putting on three days of celebrations after his 50th birthday plans were disrupted by Brexit.
David Cameron was seen enjoying his 60th birthday as he went for a splash in Cornwall
The former Prime Minister ushered in his 60s alongside friends on the Cornish beach today
Wearing blue and white striped shorts, he stayed in the water for a few minutes before walking along the beach and back to his house
He hosted a lavish dinner last night while an even grander one, catered by Michelin-starred chef Paul Ainsworth, will take place tonight in giant marquees which have been set up in his back garden.
Gordon Ramsay, who owns a nearby holiday home, Jeremy Clarkson and Helena Bonham Carter are among the celebrities expected to be in attendance.
And those brave enough will enjoy a Sunday morning ‘surf-off’ by the beach, as they look to recover from a heavy night of drinking.
The former Conservative leader relaxed by the beach on Friday afternoon as preparations for his lavish bash were in full swing.
Workers set up a number of giant marquees in his back garden as food and drink trucks arrived at the property. White pennants and bunting could be seen fluttering from their roofs as the marquees in his garden were illuminated by festoon lighting.
He emerged from his house at 5.30pm on Friday, during a short break from the day’s heavy rain, to have a birthday dip alongside two friends.
A decade ago, Lord Cameron had envisaged a large gathering of hundreds of friends at Chequers, the prime ministerial country retreat, to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2016.
But the nation’s vote to leave the EU four months prior to his big birthday meant that he was forced to quit as prime minister and Tory leader, therefore losing access to the sprawling Chequers estate.
Instead, a small private get-together at the home of a wealthy friend was planned.
For his 60th, however, no expense has been spared.
Lord Cameron’s Cornish holiday home, which overlooks the area’s striking cliffs, is perfectly tailored to hosting a bash like this.
Purchased in 2017 for £2million, it was, Lord Cameron said at the time, one of his ‘bucket list’ items. It has since been remodelled to fit a ‘chillaxing’ vibe, in keeping with its owner’s famous love of a party.
Cameron (pictured alongside a friend) is hosting more than 100 friends at his holiday home to mark his milestone birthday
The former Conservative leader is putting on three days of celebrations after his 50th birthday was foiled by Brexit
His additions to the property include a snooker room, which was constructed with a flat Sedum roof – a green ‘living’ roof covered with vegetation – in 2019. There is also an £8,000 wood-burning luxury hot tub and a shepherd’s hut.
Lord Cameron famously installed a £25,000 hut, with walls lined in sheep’s wool and a wood-burning stove, in his Cotswolds garden, using it to write his memoirs, before adding a similar one to his Cornish property.
And locals this week told the Daily Mail the Camerons often visit, with one observing: ‘He keeps a low profile and tends to blend in. He and Samantha have been spotted on the coast path and you see him bodyboarding.’
Lord Cameron is now a strategic adviser to the law firm DLA Piper, as well as being an adviser at US firm Scale AI and the private equity firm Finback Investment Partners.
He sits in the Lords as Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton. Married to Samantha, he has three children, Nancy, Florence and Arthur, who are now grown up. A fourth child, Ivan, died in 2009 aged six.
The family’s Cornish property has already made headlines for its parties. In 2019, it was reported that Cameron had to eject teenage friends of his then 15-year-old daughter after a gathering got a little out of hand.
Newspapers reported at the time: ‘While Nancy is adamant they weren’t drinking, David was joking to locals that he’s sure they were p***ed as newts.’
