Oprah Winfrey has her own television network, so of course she has her own private land as well! In her case, it's a big slice of Orcas Island within Washington state, where Winfrey paid just over $8m for 43 acres of land. The island is still technically public, but so much of it belongs to Winfrey that there isn't much point in anyone else visiting it. Her home is palatial, but the 3,000 feet of pure sand and beach might be the best feature here.
Winfrey had the mansion on her island purpose built for her in 2007, but deliberately had it made in an old-style. All the materials are reclaimed or hand-forged, and she even had hardwood floor brought in from the old Sears' Chicago building. Somewhere within its walls is a full-sized library and reading room of the kind that millionaires always have on television, and a bathtub which is molded to the shape of her own body. Now that's luxury!
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.