Stacey Solomon apologised to a grieving father as he opened up about two tragic losses during an episode of her Channel 4 series.
The classic instalment of Stacey Solomon’s Renovation Rescue, which originally aired last year, is set to be repeated this weekend, and follows the journey of father and daughter Nigel and Alex.
The two had decided to move out of their family home after the loss of Nigel’s wife and Alex’s mother, six years before filming.
“We were looking for a place that either had a granny annex or a place where I could live next door, so I’m not going to be living miles away,” Nigel explained in the series that sees DIY expert Solomon rescuing homeowners who’ve been left high and dry by their builders.
Nigel and Alex bought a three-bedroom bungalow with plans to extend for Alex and her fiancé, while converting the garage into Nigel’s annex. However, soon after they hired a builder, things began to go wrong.
“The foundations weren’t dug quite right, and they had to redo them,” Alex explained, adding: “The cavity walls were wrong, the roof joists were wrong.
“And the big beam was not sufficient for holding up the roof. The sort of knot-in-the-stomach moment was when we were promised things on certain dates that then didn’t happen, which gave us sort of a damned feeling that it wasn’t going to go the right way.”
Two months into the work, the father and daughter parted ways with the builder and had sadly been living in a stalled building site ever since.
“The building inspector came in and said, ‘I can’t sign anything off, it’s probably all got to come down,'” Nigel recalled.
The family went on to detail how the blow, which came after years of Nigel caring for his ill wife, had impacted the bereaved family hugely.
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Nigel also reflected on how he and his late wife had lost their first child before the baby had been born. Speaking to Solomon, he tearfully reflected: “She was pregnant with the first baby, so I went down that night, they did the scan – nothing.”
Struggling to continue speaking, he went on: “So that day the… you know, she passed inside, so we…”
Nigel began sobbing at the terrible memory, with Alex placing a comforting arm on her dad. “I’m so sorry, Nigel,” a moved Solomon commented as he took a moment to compose himself.
Alex stepped in to speak for her father, adding: “Yeah, she was always unwell. It was a really tricky time for all of us, really.”
“Honestly, if you need a break at any point, it’s okay. Don’t worry,” Solomon assured Nigel, who apologised and remarked: “It always gets me, that one.”
“Well, yeah, it’s difficult,” an understanding Solomon responded. Nigel decided: “I’m not going to say anything about it, but I just wanted to – you know, that’s what I mean, it’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster, and why we wanted to move.”
Gesturing around at the incomplete home, he added: “Then we hit this,” at which point an optimistic Solomon vowed: “This is where we’re going to make a plan to get you back to where you want to be.”
“This is what we need, because me and dad are glass-half-empty,” Alex admitted, prompting Solomon to reply: “No, you’re not!”
The friendly presenter added: “The glass is half full, but the teacup is empty, so if anyone wants to find a teabag, a couple of sugars, I’m in!”
Thankfully, Solomon managed to help the family, recommending removing their extension plans and instead making the kitchen bigger.
She also showed the two how to hammer and chisel the failed extension and use the bricks for other projects.
The handy presenter also demonstrated to the two how to make their own furniture to save extra money.
One of Alex and Nigel’s biggest worries was not completing the renovation before Alex’s wedding, but Solomon managed to help the two meet their deadline.
On the finished product, the host gushed: “It’s soft, homely, cosy materials mixed with masculine, black, metal, industrial bits and pieces – just brings everyone’s tastes together.”
“I never thought we’d get to this point, I really didn’t,” Nigel confessed.
