Laura Hamilton, the star of A Place in the Sun, has had a difficult couple of years.
After divorcing her husband last year, the presenter purchased a new home. What’s the catch? It needed to be totally renovated, which, as Laura swiftly realised, quickly drained her financial account in the midst of the cost of living crisis.
‘I felt overwhelmed,’ the 40-year-old star told Metro.co.uk. ‘I’m short on time. Money short. But it is what it is, and it’s my home, and I’m trying to create something special for myself and my children.’
Laura’s positivity shines through whenever the debate veers into more serious areas.
Laura tweeted a Dr Seuss quotation when she announced her divorce from her spouse of 13 years, Alex Goward, on social media last year: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, grin because it happened.’
Although she admitted that fixing up the house she acquired last year has been difficult, she approached the subject with a joyful buoyancy that can only be ascribed to her true passion for real estate.

‘I’m very fortunate that I’ve been able to build something and design something I love, but it’s not been easy. It’s not been straightforward and I’m not there yet.’
Sharing a particularly special moment during the renovation, Laura, who shares Rocco, nine, and Tahlia, seven, with Alex, said: ‘I think one of the most poignant moments for me was when my little boy came back into the house and he saw that I’d painted the staircase and had a carpet put on.’
Noting that they hadn’t been able to live in house for nine months, Laura continued: ‘He just looked at me and he just gave me a big hug. Because he’d seen it [when there was] no staircase and [he] had to climb up step ladders.’
Laura also expressed her support for her A Place in the Sun co-star Jonnie Irwin, who was diagnosed with cancer in November.


Jonnie was given only six months to live after he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in August 2020, which has subsequently spread to his brain.
‘We’re all in regular contact, all of us as presenters,’ Laura said of her friend and colleague.
‘Jonnie is renovating a house as well. So, I’ve said to him, “if you need anything, let me know”.
‘He’s such an amazing man. He’s funny. He’s kind, he’s obviously a family man. We’re all here for him.’
We couldn’t leave Laura without asking about her brand-new episodes of A Place in the Sun, which are currently running.
‘Do you know why it’s been so good filming the new episodes? The appetite of people buying,’ Laura excitedly told us.
‘It’s just amazing, the amount of people that are seriously doing it now and I think it’s like a record of the number of serious buyers that complete on sales.’
We can’t wait to tune in!
All-new episodes of A Place in the Sun are currently showing at 3pm on Channel 4