The luxury home in Devon has been dubbed the 'saddest house ever' after the owner was left in £7million debt and saw his marriage break down as a result of the build(Image: Tom Wren SWNS)

Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud gives update on 'saddest house ever' years after show disaster

The luxury home in Devon has been dubbed the 'saddest house ever' after the owner was left in £7million debt and saw his marriage break down as a result of the build

by · The Mirror

Kevin McCloud spills the tea on the property deemed the 'saddest house ever' from Grand Designs, the notorious Chesil Cliff House.

The home in Croyde, Devon is now believed to be up for sale after a string of tragic events for owner Edward Short, including a marriage breakdown and a crippling £7million debt caused by the ambitious build.

The Grand Designs frontman gave us the lowdown recently, saying: "As far as I know, it's still on the market. Ed is in neutral waiting for that to happen. He's very busy. I don't think he's suffering in the way he was.

"When we did a revisit to that project, and the original was about overreaching, to an extent he was far more humble about it and there was a degree of resolution I guess. That's the best way of describing it."

Kevin McCloud has given an update( Image: Channel 4 / Malgosia Czarniecka Lonsdale.)

Beyond just architecture, Kevin feels Ed's misfortunes could offer profound life lessons. "Ed's story shows if you screw up, it's not the end of the world. Only the end of the world is the end of the world and everything else can be dealt with," he said.

Delving deeper into the trials showcased on the series, Kevin reflected: "It was a sad story but we've got people with terminal cancer and people who lost partners sometimes during the filming process, and you come to realise the problems they face - not having enough money, being in by Christmas - these are all not important.

"They're huge in the moment but when you're dealing with a life threatening illness and it's going to knock years off their time here, actually there are far more important things on the planet to deal with."

The 'saddest ever' Grand Designs house looks very different now( Image: Match Property)

The house is currently believed to be on the market and is being touted as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for a buyer.

The listing describes it as: "The property represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to take on and finish the specification and fit out one of the UK's most spectacularly situated coastal homes."

"The bespoke design has been brought to life through impressive engineering, with the building being anchored to the bed rock, blending whitewashed elevations with steel and glass, culminating with a lighthouse feature at one end giving almost 360 degree views of the coastline. The location combines privacy with a diverse range of breath-taking views, all set in around 3 acres, which includes a large area of foreshore, a private tidal beach area and coves."

The property's construction and the strain of escalating costs ultimately led to the end of Edward's 20-year marriage to Hazel.

Kevin McCloud was speaking ahead of Grand Designs Live at NEC Birmingham, the UK’s premier home and design exhibition, taking place from 2-6 October.