Sarah Beeny has spoken up about the difficulties she’s had in her marriage to husband Graham Swift since being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Property Ladder host, who has kids Billy, 18, Charlie, 16, Rafferty, 14, and Laurie, 12, with Graham, acknowledged their relationship has ‘ups and downs’.
‘We’re hanging on in there by our fingernails. I mean, it’s not easy, is it?’ the 51-year-old, who was given the all-clear from the disease in April, added.
The New Life in the Country star continued: ‘Graham always said, “The day we have to work at our marriage, I’m going to leave.” And I was like, “Really?” But I think he has had to work at it, to be honest.’
Sarah admitted to being ‘terrible’ at times during the last five years, but she promised to improve her attitude in order to maintain her marriage.
She told The Midpoint with Gabby Logan podcast: ‘I was being particularly horrible and he said, “You know the thing is Sarah, you’re not prepared to leave and have your children half the time, and neither am I, so we’re going to stay together. And we’re going to stay together happily or unhappily, so which would you like it to be?’”
‘And I was like, “Oh that is quite dark, isn’t it?”
‘He said, “You wanna be happy or unhappy, because either way we’re still going to live together” so I was like, “OK we’ll do happy then, shall we?” he was like, “What a good idea. Maybe you should be a bit nicer?’”
The Help My House is Falling Down star said she had taken the ‘logical’ advice on board.
Sarah also said that she’d complained to her brother Diccon Beeny about Graham and said they were about to break up until he persuaded her otherwise.
She said: ‘I rang my brother … and said, “Right that’s it, Graham’s being so annoying, I think we’re going to split up” and he listened to me for ages, [he was like] “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, “I get it Sarah, it must be horrendous being married to him.”
‘”The only thing I think that could be worse is being married to you’ So I suggest you go and make up! So all is well.”’
Sarah and Graham have been together since she was 18 years old, after meeting on a blind date.
Diccon, the property mogul’s brother, is also married to Graham’s sister, Caroline.
Sarah and her family relocated from London to the Somerset countryside for the Channel 4 property series New Life In The Country.
Sarah, her husband Graham, and their four children set out to renovate a semi-derelict former dairy farm and turn it into the modern house of their dreams, which premiered in 2020.
Graham is also in a band with their children called Entitled Sons, and they have a slot this year at Glastonbury.
In a recent interview the band said making music had ‘100%’ brought the father and siblings ‘closer together’.
Graham, on the other hand, joked that his boys largely kept him around because he was the only one who could drive a van to get them where they wanted to go.
Asked what it’s like living the rock n’ roll life while being in a band with your dad, Rafferty joked it’s ‘like being at school,’ but that their dad was ‘quite lenient’ – or maybe even ‘too lenient’.