He’s instantly recognizable as the king of the paparazzi, but these days Darryn Lyons would rather be pottering around his garden, as he tells Anna Gizowska

Award winning, celebrity snapper and self-made entrepreneur, Darryn Lyons, got rich trading images of the famous for cash – lots of it. His shots of Princess Diana holidaying with Dodi Fayed sold around the world and established him as Mr. Paparazzi - ‘the face (and mouth) of the Paparazzi’.

 

Perched at the top of the celebrity food chain his career is as unique and splashy as his hairdo. But “there’s more to this man than his hair,” says Darryn. “I came to the U.K at 21 with $500 in my back pocket.” He started working as a photographer for the Daily Mail, and covered the war in Bosnia during his time with the newspaper. He quickly went on to win awards for his work including the Kodak Photographer of the Year Award for his photo of ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev the night before he died in Paris.

 

Darryn launched Big Pictures in 1992 - the largest celebrity photo agency in the country. A master of self-promotion, he allowed TV cameras to follow him around for a fly-on-the-wall series – Paparazzi, which made him as famous as the celebrities he’d been photographing.
“I’ve had my wild days. I’m very boring these days. I love gardens now, something I would never have dreamed of liking before.” Darryn owns property all over the world, and is very hands-on about developing each home himself.

“About six-years ago, I bought a massive, 100-year-old mansion in Drumcondra, in Geelong. I spent a lot of time and money on bringing it back to its former Victorian glory. It’s a magnificent home now and I love it.

 “It took a lot of work, but I had big expectations for it from the start. I’d never sell it now. I even had two container loads of antiques shipped to Australia from Europe. The style I’ve gone for is a combination of French and Victorian English. It’s full of antiques and very stately with a lot of gold and burlesque touches. I have a 16-seater dining table and an underground swimming pool built from a dramatic underwater cave. I choose and decide on all the interior design elements of my homes.

“The property sits on a very big block in the Drumcondra bayside suburb of Geelong  (one of the smallest suburbs in Geelong, with a population of less than 600 people). It’s on the waterfront overlooking Corio Bay, on probably one of the most prestigious roads in Geelong.
“The garden was specifically designed for a very wealthy person. I think it belonged to Geelong’s first mayor. It’s very regal, still and peaceful, so even though you’re in the suburbs, you get a tremendous amount of privacy and beautiful views over the water.

“I wouldn’t like to say exactly how much I paid for it, but it was easily over a million and then I spent a couple of million on it after that. I also bought the place behind it, which I plan to expand. I only spend about six weeks a year in Australia. I’m quite nomadic and I like it that way.

“All my homes are very different in style, from Arabian to burlesque, but there is an overtone of regality that runs through all of them. When I look for a home or an investment property I always look for something unique. I think that’s the secret to being successful with property, in terms of making big money.”

Mr Paparazzi: My Life as the World's Most Outrageous Celebrity Photographer, by Darryn Lyons is out now, or check his website www.mrpaparazzi.com for all the latest celebrity news, gossip and photos.