Sarah admits she has never said ‘I love you’ to her husband (Image: ITV)
Property expert has long been a fixture on British television, captivating audiences for decades. Known for her insightful guidance on shows like Property Ladder, Britain’s Best Home, and How to Live Free with Sarah Beeny, she returned to our screens with her family on Channel 4’s Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country, which premiered over five years ago after the family moved to Somerset.
But the TV star’s private life has been marred with challenges. In August 2022, Beeny faced a personal health crisis when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following a challenging year of treatment, including a mastectomy and extensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free in April 2023.
Beeny told how Graham had been her rock throughout her ill health and “stepped up” when she needed to, but without going too far with his assistance.
She told OK! magazine: “There are bumps along the way in life and marriage – it’s not all plain sailing. But during my cancer treatment, Graham was absolutely as I’d expected him to be – great, because he’s a good man.
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Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 (Image: @sarah beeny v cancer)
“I don’t have a husband who will come in with tea trays, I don’t have a butler! But I don’t want one, I’d find that annoying. Whenever he’s needed to step up, he’s stepped up, and that was one of those times.”
Despite a strong bond, Sarah disclosed in an interview with Prima Magazine why they have never officially said “I love you” to each other. Their decision stemmed from observing how some of their friends’ early declarations of love did not last, which turned their own avoidance into a long-standing inside joke.
She explained: “I’m married to my best friend. I don’t know what our secret is, but I think having a spark of the child in you helps. 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 dump them the next day, so not saying it became an inside joke. To this day, we’ve never officially said it.”
One of the most defining moments came early for Beeny, when she was just ten years old. She experienced profound loss with the death of her mother, Ann, who passed away at the age of 39 from breast cancer.
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Sarah opened up on how she navigated ‘bumps’ in her 22 year year marriage to Graham (Image: Instagram )
Reflecting on how this tragedy shaped her, Beeny shared with OK! Magazine: “Home is really important for me. But it’s not about how it looks, it’s about how it makes people feel. My mum died when I was quite young and I’ve been sentimental since then. I’ve released myself from some of it now – and I’ve realised that my kids aren’t sentimental at all.”
At the age of 19, Sarah met Graham Swift, who would become both her life partner and business associate in property development.
The mother of four’s personal life is tightly interwoven with family connections, as her brother is married to Graham’s sister, Caroline. Sarah and Graham have four sons: Billy, now 20, Charlie, 18, Laurie, 16, and Rafferty, 15.