Sarah Beeny
Sarah Beeny travelled the world and worked in a kaleidoscope of jobs before becoming a TV presenter. She worked for Save the Children, cleaned windows, sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door and even ran her own sandwich-making business.
Expecting to stay self-employed for the rest of her life, at weekends, she would study the property market, which gave her a good grounding in the market. With her husband, Graham, and her brother, she set up her first property renovation company in 1996.
She met a talent hunter for Talkback Thames at a hen party and was asked to undertake a screen test to front a new program series about property development called Property Ladders. It was a huge success and she has gone on to present for Channel 4 Property Snakes and Ladders, Streets Ahead, Britain’s Best Homes, Help! My House Is Falling Down, Double Your House For Half The Money and Sarah Beeny’s Selling Houses.
In 2001 Sarah and her husband Graham bought Rise Hall. They had a huge passion for British heritage were so excited to have the opportunity to not only rescue an important “at risk” building but to create a future for it. Following an extensive, expensive and painstaking restoration, much of which was documented on the show Sarah Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare the project was finished in 2013 and is now a wedding venue.
As well as property development and TV presenter, Sarah also owns the online estate agent Tepilo and is co-founder of the dating site Mysinglefriend.com.
Sarah met her husband and business partner, Graham Swift when she was 18 years old and they have 4 sons together.
“My dad was an architect, and seeing him build our house when I was a child was very educational. It’s not actually that complicated. I also love the concept of ‘home’, to spend time with friends and family. I’m glad I ended up with a career that has encompassed all that.”
So, why is she a #Houseproud hero?
Not many people know more about buying, selling, fixing or decorating houses than our houseproud hero Sarah Beeny. We were inspired by her regeneration of Rise Hall and she’s also a very savvy business woman.