In early 2003, 10TV news anchor Andrea Cambern and her husband were contacted by a realtor friend who had a mysterious buyer interested in purchasing their German Village home. Despite not being for sale, they decided to hear the buyer out.
Rumors began flying around Columbus.
Everyone by this point knew that 26-yr-old Columbus native and Bishop Watterson High School graduate Melia McEnery had married legendary guitarist Eric Clapton the year before. Looking for property in Columbus made sense.
Cambern, a very recognizable figure around Columbus at the time, was getting stopped and asked everywhere she went. “Is Eric Clapton buying your house?” She began to believe it. Afterall her buyer was a mystery man.
As it turned out, Andrea’s buyer was just a busy man who traveled a lot. Not ‘Slow Hand’. She and her husband did sell, completely furnished.
Clapton (53) met McEnery, then 22, at a party thrown by designer & friend Giorgio Armani in 1999 in Los Angeles in Clapton’s honor. Melia approached him at the event to get an autograph for her uncle. There were sparks and soon a dinner date.
At the time Melia was living with her high school sweetheart Chris Losinske. He worked at a coffee shop in LA and she was going to school for graphic design. She eventually earned a degree in arts from the Univ of California. Chris knew Melia had met Clapton. They broke up when Clapton started sending limos to their apartment to pick her up for dates.
“There was something about her strength,” says Clapton. “She occupied her space with absolute authority. It was clear that even though she was half my age she was capable of being an adequate partner for anybody.”
Clapton was on tour at the time. The couple actually split up for a year because of his rigorous touring schedule but managed to reconcile in 2000. They kept their relationship a secret initially, but in late 2000, Melia was pregnant. That next summer she returned to Columbus for the birth of their daughter Julie Rose on June 13, 2001 at Riverside Hospital. Clapton proposed on Father’s Day 2001 at the family house in Columbus.
He kicked off the second leg of his summer tour just a few days prior at Nationwide Arena.
The couple got married on New Year’s Day in 2002 in a private ceremony held at the Chapel of St Mary Magdelene in Ripley, a small southern English town where Clapton was born. Guests thought they were there to witness the baptism of 6 month old Julie and 16-yr-old Ruth Kelly Clapton.
After the birth of their second child in London in January, 2003, Clapton was legitimately spotted on numerous occasions within a two month period in German Village at the Hausfrau Haven, a laundromat that also sold fine wines. Sometimes Melia would join him and they’d walk down the street to get coffee at Starbucks.
The couple was likely in town to give the grandparents ‘baby time’.
Columbus Monthly ran a story in April, 2003 about all the Clapton rumors. None of the house buying rumors were legit but he did eat at Spagio in Grandview five or six times and he did pay the $12 guest membership fee a couple of times to use the pool at Sawmill Athletic Club. And he bought a book at the ‘Book Loft’.
Eric Clapton has won 18 Grammy’s in a career that has spanned over five decades. He is the only musician to be inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame three times: once for being a member of Cream; once for Derek & the Dominoes and of course his fabulous solo career. He is widely considered a guitar virtuso.
Eric Clapton turned eighty on March 30 of this year. His live appearances are rare. His days now are filled with gardening, painting, and driving his Ferrari through the English countryside.
The couple spends most of their time at Clapton’s Hurtwood Edge Estate in Surrey, England.
They also reportedly own a 4800 sq ft home on six acres in Dublin, Ohio; And they recently purchased a $1.5 million farmhouse with panoramic views of the Bay of Funchal on Madiera Island, Portugal.
The Crossroads Centre for addiction treatment is a $14 million, 10,000 sq ft mansion in Antigua that is owned by Clapton. Standfast Point was built in 2000 on 45-acres and sits atop a hill overlooking the Carribean Sea. Treatment and accommodations can cost up to $50,000 per week.
Melia has served as Senior Clinical Advisor. Clapton funds the facility largely through concerts, guitar auctions and art pieces. Clapton’s re-occurring Crossroads Guitar Festival draws big names.
The couple have three daughters together Julie Rose (2002) born in Columbus, Ella May (2003) born in London, and Sophie Belle (2005) born in the U.S.
Sir Eric Clapton reportedly has been sober since 1987. Because of his age he has partial deafness in one ear and nerve problems in his back & hands.
In 2024 he released his 22nd solo studio album ‘Meanwhile’ – new songs and previous collaborations. In 2024 he completed a tour of South America & limited stops in the U.S. including the Hollywood Bowl.
Clapton has an affection for cars. He loves the Ferrari SP 12EC which was custom made just for him and is valued at $4 million. His collection of cars is valued between $50 – $100 million.
Clapton’s 2025 net worth is estimated to be $450 million. His music catalogue continues to pull in millions of dollars annually. He purchased three Gerhard Richter paintings in 2001 for $3.4 million. He sold each individually about twelve years later for a total of $77.3 million.
Melia graduated from my alma mater – Bishop Watterson High School – in 1995. Her 30th high school reunion was held this month at Jackie O’s in downtown Columbus.
Eric Clapton is kicking off his fall tour on September 5 in Columbus Ohio at Mershon Auditorium with all proceeds to benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua.
Perfect timing.
Sources: Tour Eric Clapton’s HOMES, YouTube, May, 2025; The Lifestyle of Eric Clapton Houses, Cars & Melia McEnery, Classic Flashback, YouTube, Oct 19 2024; The untold story of Melia McEnery, Eric Clapton’s wife, celebrity biographies by Alice Wabwile, briefly.co.za, Feb 13, 2025; Melia McEnery is Married to Eric Clapton: Their love life by RENG, jukebugs.com, March 26, 2024; Rock Era Insider, Melia McEnery Bio, What is known about Eric Clapton’s wife? By Gustavo Pereira, Oct 12, 2023, rockerainsider.com; Unraveling the life and journey of Melia McEnery, JamBlog, devforum.eveuniversity.org, Mar 29, 2025; Melia McEnery: the truth about Eric Clapton’s much younger wife by Jamie Primeau, nickiswift.com, Jan 16, 2020; ‘Clapton gets married in secret’, Irishexaminer.com, Jan 3, 2002; ‘Eric Clapton’s new song protesting the lockdown receives major backlash – meet his wife, Melia McEnery’ by Jaycee Levin, yourtango.com, Dec 2, 2020; Shirtless Eric Clapton and two of his daughters enjoy a beach day during vacation in France by Eric Clements, people.com, July 1, 2024; ‘Of his own accord’, The Columbus Dispatch, dispatch.com, Oct 14, 2007; God comes to town by Molly Willow, Columbus Monthly, April, 2003. Featured pictures from Columbus Monthly, 2003, courtesy the Columbus Metropolitan Library.