Speaking European – Anna Pom Pom, from Swedish TV spotlight to heart of Benahavis village

This week in Speaking European, we meet Anna Pom Pom, a Swedish expat, full of energy, who swapped the glamour of television studios and celebrity circles for the tranquil streets of Benahavís on the Costa del Sol. Anna shares her journey from a high-profile media life in Sweden and the US to building a grounded, community-focused existence in Spain – complete with a restaurant, charity work, and local political involvement.

Anna, tell us about your life before Spain

“I had a very fun life in Sweden. I worked with television before the Internet changed everything. I studied journalism, TV production, and editing, and I lived inside that world. I was on entertainment shows and reality TV and also in serious political debates with ministers. I worked closely with power, with media, with people whose names everyone knew. I even sat in the sauna inside government buildings. That was normal for me. I was young, visible, and constantly surrounded by people. Eurovision. Children’s TV abroad. International productions. Celebrity parties. It was a good life — exciting, intense, and full of opportunity.”

So, what happened?

“When you grow up in that world, something becomes unclear: who your real friends are and who are there just because of your role? You can have a million people around you and still not know what is real.”

You also spent time in the United States. What brought you to Spain?

“In 2007, I moved to the United States and lived in Las Vegas for several years. I worked with one of Sweden’s biggest newspapers, radio stations, and media projects. I spent a lot of time in Los Angeles. I had opportunities there. Friends and colleagues from Sweden moved to LA too, later working with companies like Netflix. I could have stayed, but life wanted something else. My husband at the time needed to be based in Europe, and we chose Spain. I came first to San Pedro de Alcantara. Through connections with the mayor of Marbella and her family, including her late husband, who was Swedish and from the same region as me, I found a home by the beach. It was a completely different world. Las Vegas and San Pedro could not be more opposite. From one of the most extreme places on earth to fishing boats and small streets. And slowly, something changed in me. I began to prefer the small, the quiet, the human.”

And then what?

“Then I became a mother. In the United States, good education comes at an enormous price. We are talking about sums that are impossible for most families. In Spain, I found something else: stability, accessibility, and a sense of community.”

You opened a restaurant in Benahavis. How did that come about?

“Eventually, I burnt out. Completely. I had to stop. So, I did something unexpected: I opened a restaurant. I had never worked in a restaurant before. But I am a journalist by nature, so I research everything. I found an excellent Spanish chef and immersed myself in local life. It was hard. It was real. It was honest work.”

Your restaurant, Los Abanicos, became a hub for the community.

“Yes, when I opened my restaurant in Benahavis, there was a Centro Social right in front of it. Every day it was full of the village grandfathers, all the Spanish abuelos, sitting there, playing dominoes, talking loudly, living their routines. I love old people. And I love children. I love listening to stories. I love laughter. I love that energy that comes when generations mix. They were the grandfathers of everyone in the village. They helped me more than anyone at the beginning. Because they went home and said, ‘This Anna from Sweden, she is kind. She listens. She treats us well.’ And in a small place, that matters.”

You’ve embraced community in many ways, including charity and politics.

“During COVID, I started doing charity work without thinking about it as ‘charity’. I took my car. I drove to one house… And it never stopped. It only grew. Today, I organise large charity events twice a year. Toy drives for Christmas. Clothes collections. I help locally first — always — and then through organisations like Cáritas and Rotary. We don’t give money. If someone needs glasses, I take the old lady and buy her glasses. If a child needs a bike, we find a bike. One woman from Benahavís said something I will never forget. She said: ‘Look at Anna. She is from another country. She has a good life. She doesn’t have to do this. And she does it. And we, who are from here, do nothing.’ That moment changed everything.”

What about the famous Spanish pace of life?

“At first, it drove me crazy. But then something happened. I stopped fighting it. I started eating lunch at two. I started respecting the siesta. And suddenly, the stress disappeared. Now, I cannot live without it. The mañana, the siesta, the calm. Spain didn’t just change my address; it changed my nervous system.”

Will you ever return to Sweden?

“Spain is like it was made for me. Spanish people are genuine, warm, friendly and alive. If you show a little effort — if you try, if you respect the culture — they open their world to you. Home is not where you were born. I feel more at home in Benahavís than I ever felt anywhere else.”

“I once thought I wanted to stop being famous. That’s not true. What I wanted was to be known for the right reasons. Here, people know me for who I am. For what I stand for. For what I do.”

Anna Pom Pom’s story is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the brightest lights shine brightest in the quietest places. Thank you, Anna, for sharing your inspiring journey with our readers.