BABES IN THE WOOD

TV presenter Sarah Beeny, 47, who’s coming to the aid of frustrated homeowners in a new UKTV series...

What’s your new series about? It’s a series I’ve wanted to do for years. It’s born out of going to people’s houses where they’ve got piles of wellies and coats and buggies by the front door – and a room that they leave empty and use for one day a year. They think they’ve got to move but, actually, they’ve just got to use the front room…

So, people aren’t using the space they already have wisely?

No – and once you say to them, “This is how you live; you’re not using half of this space”, they’re really excited when you suggest redesigning a room, and then show them what to do with it.

What’s your own home like?

We’ve recently moved to Somerset – into a temporary house, which we’ll have to demolish when we’ve built the new one. It’s kind of cool, because living somewhere temporary is liberating. We can put up crazy wallpaper because we’re not going to have to look at it for the rest of our lives…

Do you have a favourite room?

The kitchen has always been an important place to me. I have a big family [Sarah has sons Billy, 14, Charlie, 12, Rafferty, 10, and Laurie, nine, with her husband and business partner Graham] and a big extended family, so we do a lot of feasting; Sunday lunches and dinners.

You found fame on C4’s Property Ladder 18 years ago; you still look so fab!

[Laughs] I’d be much lazier if I wasn’t on the telly – and having four sons helps. I recently went skiing with them and I’m annoyed to say they’re now all better than me. Now I’ve decided that I’m going to get really fit...