Kevin McCloud has admitted that he was concerned about the welfare of the owner of Great designs' 'saddest home ever'.
In a 2019 episode of the long-running Channel 4 series, viewers were introduced to Edward Short, who had ambitions to transform his family's 1950s home located in North End, near Croyde on the North Devon coast, converted into a lighthouse style mansion.
The plan was to complete the renovation in 18 months, spending £1.8 million.
However, when McCloud met Edward, he had been working on it for over a decade.
The director of the music industry facing a series of challengesincluding being left with an incomplete house and £7 million in debt, as well as a broken marriage to his wife of 20 years.
He eventually completed the property in 2022, and it was originally put on the market for £10 million its price has been reduced several times since then.
Over the years, McCloud has kept in touch with Edward and now shares how concerned he once was as problems continued to pile up.
Speaking at Grand Designs Live at London ExCel on Monday, McCloud was asked if he had any concerns about the house when he first met the owner.
“I was more concerned about Ed's well-being and the well-being of his family. But yes, halfway through I did have concerns about the house,” he said.
'It wasn't finished yet, and because he couldn't continue working. The water came in and it cost him tens of thousands of pounds to repair the steelwork and glazing which was damaged. The building was not completely waterproof and that is a shame.
“You go forward to go back to go forward again, but hey, he (Ed) got there in the end, so that's great.”
The TV presenter previously told Metro.co.uk that he and Ed were together 'still communicate via email occasionally'.
“It's not always the case that you keep in touch with people, but in his case it was such a special project and we had a lot of shared interests and shared a mutual friend,” he explained.
Despite his once grand dreams, Edward eventually admitted that he would never be able to live in the house because he had “money that I have to pay back.”
He then pointed out his “overconfidence and arrogance” in seeing him push through with his plans over the years despite mounting setbacks.
In 2022, Edward told Devon Live that he was unlikely to ever tackle major construction projects again, saying he would probably have to spend money on “a physiotherapist and help with PTSD” instead.
Grand Designs is streaming on Channel 4.
Do you have a story?
If you have a celebrity story, video or photos, please contact the Metro.nl entertainment team by emailing us at [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by calling our Submit stuff page – we look forward to hearing from you.
MORE : Kevin McCloud of Grand Designs warns that the UK property market is 'broken and dysfunctional'
MORE : Kevin McCloud is disappointed by a big mistake at Grand Designs: 'It upsets me'
MORE : Grand Designs builder falls through the roof after massive collapse disaster
