Former glamour model Jodie Marsh has been granted a new licence to keep 12 marmosets at her animal sanctuary in Essex, following a lengthy legal battle. The 47-year-old, who runs Fripps Farm in Lindsell near Great Dunmow, said she was 'elated' and 'completely over the moon' after Uttlesford District Council approved her application.
Marsh previously took the council to court after it refused to grant a wild animal licence for eight ring-tailed lemurs, but she won that case in June. The new licence, effective from April 6 until April 5 2029, allows her to keep the marmosets under the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024, which introduced a licensing regime to protect primate welfare.
Marsh told the BBC: 'I knew we would get the licence because we'd done everything correctly. With the new primate law coming into effect, many people won't be able to keep their marmosets, and thousands will need homes. It is so crucial that those of us who can, do have the licence, so we can rescue more if needed.' She warned that the new regulations are 'higher than zoo standards' and feared many small monkeys could be put down or abandoned if owners cannot obtain a licence.
Marsh rose to fame on the ITV series Essex Wives in 2002 and has since founded Fripps Farm in 2020, a 3.5-acre sanctuary housing alpacas, emus, reptiles and other animals, partly funded by her OnlyFans account. However, last week she appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court accused of assaulting a man at the farm in January. She denies assault and using threatening and abusive words against Christopher Hynes and Susan Hammond.
