I LOVED MY 'WOLF OF WALL STREET' EXPAT LIFE – BUT ONLY FOUND MEANING BACK IN THE UK

A British woman who spent five years living aWolf of Wall Street lifestyle of luxury and endless parties in the Far East says she only realised what she really wanted back in “quirky and cultured” England.

When Niki Gifford, now 60, from Woburn Sands in Bedfordshire, left her “convent” all-girls high school in the early 80s, she was determined to become a career woman.

“I was the rebel,” she told The i Paper. “Of the 60 girls in my year, 59 quickly married and had children after school – but not me.”

After making a name for herself in the sports marketing and advertising world, Gifford was offered a chance to open a major gallery in Singapore at the age of 30.

“I wanted out of the rat race in London,” she said.

Gifford took the job and packed her bags for Singapore, thinking to give it a try and move back home if things did not work out.

“I loved it so much,” she said. “It was two years before I even visited my family back home.”

The island was “exotic” and “exciting”, she said.

“As an expat in Singapore, you get a generous salary, have a nice apartment, a driver and a maid,” she said.

“Your washing is cleaned, meals cooked, and drivers take you where you need to go. Everything is handed to you on a silver platter. You become very spoiled, living a sort of fairytale life.”

Both Gifford and the expats she was surrounded by thought it likely they wouldn’t be in the east forever and therefore sought to “live every moment.”

Gifford was based mainly in Singapore during her five years in the region, but travelled often to Indonesia to visit galleries and curate shows.

With many wealthy clients buying work from the galleries she opened in Singapore and Jakarta, she was welcomed into an “amazing social circle”.

“We had full moon celebrations on the beach, water skiing races, polo, sailing and endless expat parties,” she said. “The food and weather were fantastic.”

Expat life at that time had a Wolf of Wall Street vibe, full of very well-paid expats coming to let their hair down and “slosh their money around”, she said, referring to the book and film about the life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2013 film.

However, although she was surrounded by friends, Gifford often felt a creeping sense of loneliness, as expat friends she made were often reposted to another country, and she had no partner with whom to share the incredible adventures.

In 2000, she came to a “crossroads” and had to decide whether to remain in Singapore as a “lifer” or return to England.

“I decided to come home,” she said. “I wanted to settle down, and come back to reality.”

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While she does not regret her years in the far east – “it gave me confidence, resilience and global mindset” – she does wonder if she should have just stayed in Singapore for two years, instead of five.

“When I got home, all my friends were married and had several children,” she said. “I thought I’d been having the best life, but then I realised I had missed an opportunity to have my own children.”

Gifford met her now-husband in 2001, and they married when she was 42. By the time she was ready to have children, “it was too late”, she said.

“I don’t have regrets about Singapore and Indonesia, but I would have loved to have had my own children,” she said.

Gifford’s stepson, whom she says she never calls “stepson,” is her family, though. “I have the most wonderful son and love him as my own.”

Having her family of three brought a “new meaning” to her life, she added. “It was a pivotal moment when he came to live with us.

“When you’re an expat, you can become selfish, doing only what you want to do. Having this adorable son come to live with you, and thinking about someone other than yourself, it changed everything. The penny dropped, and I understood why all my friends had families.”

Although Gifford is immensely proud of her career, she asked: “But what do you want your legacy to be?”

“If I had carried on as a so-called ‘lifer’ in Singapore, I would never have experienced such a magical time settling with a family. I don’t think I would have felt as fulfilled as I do now.”

Immediately upon returning to England, Gifford felt she was home. She now lives with her family in Surrey, west of London.

“I love the four seasons, the quirkiness and humour of the Brits, just the sheer Britishness of everything,” she said.

“And we have all these wonderful traditions – the Boat Race, Chelsea Flower Show, Ascot, and Wimbledon. I had missed the culture – museums, opera, and art.

“Singapore was seamless and smooth, perfect. England is a real contrast. I was just very happy to be back in old Blighty.”

2026-03-08T14:42:05Z