Grand Designs Couple Are Now £7 Million In Debt Following Show's 'Saddest Ever Episode'
A couple who went on Grand Designs are now £7 million in debt after appearing on the show’s ‘saddest ever episode’.
Edward Short and his wife at the time, Hazel, were featured on the show in 2018 as they shared the development of their mansion, Chesil Cliff House.
The six-bedroom house took 10 years to complete, with Edward spiralling into debt and splitting from his wife.
The 57-year-old, who originally paid £1.4 million for the property, says he's spent around £6 million on renovations.
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Now, Edward’s property, which sits on a cliff by Saunton Sands and Croyde Beach in North Devon, is on sale for a huge £10 million.
Meanwhile, he and his family - 56-year-old ex-wife Hazel, and daughters Nicole, 22, and Lauren, 21 - have never lived in the property.
The homeowner now ‘wants out’ of the property, after spending precious time, money and his sanity into constructing the property - which was intended to be his family’s forever home.
He admitted to The Sun that the stress from the build and the ‘pressure’ it left on his wife contributed to their divorce.
“It’s got to go because it’s beyond me now,” he told the newspaper.
“I’m quite excited about that final moment when the deal closes. I’ve worked so long to get to that point and now, hopefully, that’s around the corner.
“It will be nice to get some sort of payback, even if it’s only a pint and packet of crisps at the very end.”
Edward – who has since become engaged to Jalia Nambasa – admitted that he has ‘a lot of guilt’ about putting Hazel through the ‘horrendous’ ordeal.
He said: “It was awful for the family because I pulled the stability rug from under them, without being able to give answers of how we were going to get out of it, other than that I had to carry on.
“I was so stressed about leaving that stain of failure on my wife and children that I was worrying a lot, I was losing sleep, but that effectively made me unable to function.”
The mansion has been valued at £8 million, and includes an infinity pool, is located just steps down from the shore and has a plot which spans three acres of land.
The home even includes a separate single storey home, with the glass-fronted property providing sea views from all rooms, as well as a hot tub overlooking the coast as well.
Christopher Bailey, the head of waterfront properties at Knight Frank wrote of the property on the Knight Frank website: “It is iconic in the true meaning of the word and there is nothing else to compare to it on the market right now.
“It certainly sits at the very top of the national coastal waterfront market and I have no doubt it will attract keen interest globally.”
Gabriella Ferlita