Eva Longoria reveals her favorite things about her life in Spain, as she reveals whether she will ever return to the US
Actress Eva Longoria has opened up about how her life has changed since her family decided to leave the US and move abroad – while revealing whether she has plans to return to America for good.
Longoria, 51, born and raised in Texas, announced in 2024 that she had “escaped” from the US, where she had been living in Los Angeles, splitting her time between her homes in Spain and Mexico with her husband. José Bastonand their son, Santiago7.
Now, the ‘Desperate Housewives’ star has shared a glimpse into her favorite things about her life abroad. She describes the ways in which the lifestyle in Spain helps her stay stress-free, especially when it comes to the European country’s eating habits.
“They really enjoy life in Spain. They like a long meal. You are never in a hurry,” she says told People magazine.
Longoria compared that ethos to US customs, then joked that one of the things she doesn’t miss at all about her life in Los Angeles are the “work lunches,” which left her no time for real fun or relaxation.
“I don’t miss working lunch. It’s so amazing that in our work culture we really don’t have lunch,” she said. “You always do the work lunch: ‘I’m going to get a sandwich, I’ll be right back.’ You only have an hour. It’s so stressful to think, ‘I have to hurry up and be back.'”
Longoria also revealed that she has gotten used to not always being late because of traffic.
“There’s no traffic where we live. I walk everywhere,” she said.
That’s not to say Longoria doesn’t miss anything about her life in the US – namely her family, especially her relatives in Texas.
“I miss my family, my family in Texas… [and] good Mexican food. That’s what I miss. That’s what Europe doesn’t have: good Mexican food,” she said.
However, Longoria has had more opportunity to spend time with her family in recent months, during which time she has once again been living in the US while working on her upcoming project ‘The Fifth Wheel’, which marks her second turn as director.
Due to the length of the project, the actress revealed that she actually made the decision to enroll her son in a school in LA, having previously homeschooled him when they lived in Spain.
The actress admitted that Santiago’s love for his new daily school routine and his classmates has made her doubt their future plans, noting that the family “might” move back to Spain, although she did admit that Santiago “likes” their life in Europe “more” than he does in the US.
“We have a big family, and so a lot of his cousins live in Spain. They’re mainly in Spain and Mexico. And so we like to be surrounded by family. I also think he’s happiest when he’s with family. So I think we take it day by day, year by year,” the actress said.
In February, Longoria opened the doors to her life abroad, giving fans a glimpse into her Spanish property in CNN’s new series.Eva Longoria: In Search of Spain.”
The eight-part series followed the “Desperate Housewives” alum as she explored the birthplace of her ancestors and experienced all the breathtaking views and delicious meals Spain has to offer.
“Eleven generations ago, one of my ancestors left Spain for The New World and a new life. 400 years later, I’m back to see how the country and its people created one of the world’s most exciting cuisines,” she said in the trailer for the series, which premiered in April 2025.
The show debuted just five months after the actress told Marie Claire about her decision to leave the US, describing the country as “dystopian.”
At the time of her move, Longoria admitted that she was very “privileged” in her ability to move from the country where she was born and raised, and where she launched her successful acting career.
“I have the privilege. I get to escape and go somewhere. “Most Americans are not so lucky,” she said. “They will be stuck in this dystopian country, and my fear and sadness are for them.”
Turning her attention to the president Donald Trumpwho had just claimed victory in the 2024 elections, she said: “It was not shocking that he won, but that a convicted criminal who exudes so much hatred could hold the highest office.”
The actress noted that conditions in her former home state of California were largely responsible for her decision to leave the US before the election.
While she insisted she doesn’t want to ‘s–t’ the region, she said she found certain aspects of it difficult to stomach.
“I’ve had my entire adult life here. But even before that [the COVID-19 pandemic]it changed, the atmosphere was different. And then COVID happened, and that pushed it over the edge,” she continued. “Whether it’s the homelessness or the taxes, not that I want to be in California – it just feels like this chapter in my life is over now.”
Longoria’s official exodus from the US appears to have begun in earnest in 2023, when she put her sprawling Beverly Hills mansion on the market for $22.88 million, before slashing the price to $18.98 million in May 2024 before later taking it private.
She and her husband paid $13.5 million for the posh 1.4-acre estate in 2017. They reportedly spent an unprecedented amount of money on an exquisite renovation.
The 10,652-square-foot Spanish Modern mansion was built in 1996 on a deep lot with a long, gated driveway. It is equipped with an advanced security system.
Longoria and Bastón added many colorful accents during the renovation. To start, they spruced up the exterior by planting trees and creeping vines and freshened the front door with a vibrant shade of red.
Luxury amenities include a home theater, a pool cabana with a full bar, a temperature-controlled wine room, a stylish library, a glass-walled gym, and a championship tennis court with a pavilion.
The house remains on the market, but that hasn’t stopped the star from leaving the house, and Los Angeles, behind him.
She explained to Marie Claire that even when it comes to her on-screen work or her budding career as a producer, she doesn’t consider LA a filming location, preferring to shoot elsewhere.
Two of her most recent on-screen projects – the CNN series “Searching for Mexico” and its follow-up “Searching for Spain” – saw her spend months in both countries. Although she returned to the US to campaign for Harris and her running mate, Tim Walzshe no longer considers it her home.
Longoria has owned real estate in Mexico for several years and reveals in her 2023 series “Searching for Mexico” that she first fell in love with the country when she and her husband, who is from Mexico, started dating.
“I’ve had a house here since I fell in love with one chilango [local person]she said, referring to her husband. They ‘spend as much time here as possible’.
She recently bought her villa in the Spanish city of Marbella, which she revealed in an interview with Hello! in January 2024. that she had been looking for a house there for five years before she finally came across her dream home.
“The first time I came to Marbella, 20 years ago, it was love at first sight. I said to myself: ‘One day I will live here’,” she revealed. “Finally, this house came on the market in early 2023.
“It needed refurbishing, but it was exactly the size and location I was looking for. So taking advantage of the fact that I was filming in Barcelona, I came down and bought it that same day.”
