All a flutter... Hippodrome opens its doors with help from Jodie Kidd and friends
The Hippodrome in Leicester Square opened its doors again last night, after a three-year closure, as a high-end casino.
Model Jade Parfitt joined socialites Jodie Kidd and Daisy Lowe for the party, a warm-up before Mayor Boris Johnson cuts the ribbon this morning.
“This place started life as an indoor circus, with elephants, seals, and high-diving midgets,” said its new proprietor Simon Thomas. “We’ve had Stevie Wonder, Sammy Davis Jnr, Eartha Kitt and Tom Jones in our time. Peter Stringfellow took it over in ’83, but then the place lost its way. Now we’ve come back. It’s sexy, sassy grown-up fun.”
Polo player Jodie Kidd was at the tables, but confessed she dropped a sizeable sum. “I have a little flutter every now and then, but it never does me any good,” said Kidd. “I do roulette and sweepstakes, but tonight I didn’t do so well.” Fortunately, her partner Andrea Vianini was keeping tab. “He’s doing rather better than me,” said Jodie.
