Sarah Beeny has revealed how she overcame the ‘bumps’ in her 22-year marriage to husband Graham Swift during a devastating battle with cancer.
The TV star, 52, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022 and underwent grueling chemotherapy as well as a double mastectomy.
Throughout the process, Sarah was supported by her artist husband Graham, 51, and their four sons, but in a new interview she admitted that things weren’t ‘easy’.
The Property Ladder presenter told how Graham had been her rock during her ill health and ‘stepped up’ when needed but without going too far with his help.
She said OK! magazine: ‘There are frictions in life and marriage – not everything is simple. But during my cancer treatment, Graham was absolutely what I expected him to be – great, because he is a good man.
‘I have no husband to come with trays of tea, no butler! But I don’t want him, that would annoy me. Whenever he needed to step up, he stepped up, and that was one of those times.’
Sarah Beeny has revealed how she went through “bumps” in her 22-year marriage to husband Graham Swift (pictured together) during a devastating battle with cancer
The TV star, 52, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022 and underwent grueling chemotherapy as well as a double mastectomy (pictured in July)
The star went on to say that she encouraged her partner to open up to others if he himself was struggling with everything that was happening because she admitted that she had ‘no space’ for her husband not to be strong.
She shared: ‘We talked once. I said, “I know you might not be well all the time, but don’t talk to me about it, please. Can you talk to my brother or someone else?” And he said, “Yes, I know.” I think he was talking to my brother and some friends. He knew that I had no room for him not to be OK.’
In the middle of the conversation, Sarah reflected on the past five years, when she and her family moved from East Yorkshire to a sprawling estate in Somerset where they built and renovated their country villa.
In the middle of the construction, Sarah was diagnosed with cancer, and in the last few years, the TV presenter continued to work in television and went on a four-month tour with her son’s group of musicians – The Entitled Sons.
Sarah and Graham share boys Billy (20), Charlie (18), Laurie (16) and Rafferty (15).
Last year Sarah documented her battle with health in her documentary Sarah Beeny Against Cancer.
Speaking candidly about her decision to share her journey publicly, Sarah said she has no regrets as she felt being open made her loved ones feel less ‘scared’ if they were ‘up to date’ with what was going on.
She added that while she felt ‘scared’ at the time, she now sees her journey as ‘a lifetime ago’, saying she feels ‘lucky’ to be such a ‘mover’.
Throughout the process, Sarah was supported by her artist husband Graham, 51, and their four sons, but in a new interview she admitted things weren’t ‘easy’
The Property Ladder boss told how Graham was her rock during her ill health and ‘stepped up’ when needed but without going too far with his help
The star went on to say that she encouraged her partner to open up to others if he himself was struggling with everything that had happened, as she admitted that she had ‘no room’ for her husband not to be strong
Sarah and Graham share boys Billy (20), Charlie (18), Laurie (16) and Rafferty (15)
It came after Sarah previously revealed why she and her husband Graham still haven’t officially said ‘I love you’ to each other.
The telly was lucky enough to find a pea in her pod when she was quite young and started dating artist Graham when they were just teenagers.
Sarah first revealed that she and Graham never said those three words last October – but gave an insight into why they haven’t changed their behaviour.
She admitted that the word ‘I love you’ became something of an ‘inside joke’ for high school sweethearts, who used to make fun of friends who would say it – and break up shortly afterwards.
In an interview with Prima magazine in March, she said: ‘I am married to my best friend. I don’t know what our secret is, but I think it helps to have the spark of a child in you.’
‘I met Graham when I was 19 and he was 18. We used to laugh at friends who would say ‘I love you’ after one date and then kick them the next day, so not saying it became an inside joke.’
“Until today, we have never officially said that,” she admitted.
The mockery approach has become a standard routine to the point that whenever Graham makes a mistake, the real estate professional seems to stop him hilariously.
She continued; ‘I once said to Graham ‘even if you don’t have any money or never get a job, I’d still love you’, I had to back off and explain that it was just a reversal.
‘Every time Graham got it wrong and said it, I said ‘that’s a bit lousy, can you say that again?’
Sarah was given the all-clear in April after being diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022.
It comes after Sarah previously revealed why she and husband Graham still haven’t officially said ‘I love you’ to each other
Sarah – who was given the all clear in April after being diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2022 – spoke about how it has affected her marriage during an appearance on Lorraine last December
During an appearance on Lorraine in December 2023, Sarah was candid about how her cancer diagnosis affected her marriage – but in a way that made them a stronger place.
She said: ‘I’m not going to say it’s easy because obviously it’s not easy, but I think I’m lucky to have a very supportive husband and children.’
The Property Ladder star also released her documentary Sarah Beeny Against Cancer in June, detailing her journey with cancer, including a double mastectomy.
In addition to his art, Graham has worked alongside Sarah on projects including the dating app MySingleFriend, which they founded in 2004 after Sarah became notorious for setting up her single friends on dates.
The real estate professional also published her memoir The Simple Life: How I Found Home last year – but said at the time that she wanted to leave out her health issues because she didn’t want cancer to be “the thing that defines her life”.
