Homes Under The Hammer presenter Martin Roberts has admitted he is ignoring doctors’ advice to take on his new pub renovation project as he is more “motivated” than ever.
The 61-year-old TV star was rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery in 2022 after mistaking chest pains for long Covid.
But Martin learned he was suffering from pericardial effusion, which is a buildup of fluid in the structure surrounding the heart, and he was rushed into life-saving surgery.
Motivated by his brush with death, in July this year Martin won a tender to open his own pub in a Welsh village, despite having no previous experience in the hospitality industry.
Now, talking to the sun Discussing his gigantic new project and his health, the BBC presenter has revealed that he wants to “move on” with what he wants to achieve in his life rather than “take it easy”.
She candidly told the publication: “So instead of doing what I’ve been told to do, which is sit in a chair, take it easy, not stress, take care of my heart, all that kind of stuff.”
“I was like, I’ve got to keep doing this s**t, because I don’t know how much time I have left and it could all be over tomorrow.”
Homes Under The Hammer presenter Martin Roberts admitted he is ignoring doctors’ advice to undertake the renovation project of his new pub (pictured in 2022).
In July this year, Martin won a tender to open his own pub in a village in Wales, despite having no previous experience in the hospitality industry.
The star also clarified that it’s not about money, but rather why he will be “remembered” in the community.
He added: “I almost did it, I was three hours from death, so I am even more motivated to do things, not to make money, because it is certainly not about doing that, but about doing some good and doing something community “. , and only to change lives.’
Martin’s exciting new renovation project has even sparked an idea for a new documentary series, which will air on ITV in the new year and follow the star as he takes on this huge task.
The publication also reported that the project will involve teenagers who are working to gain qualifications in construction.
In July 2022, Martin bought the Hendrewen Hotel for £200,000 and admitted he did not tell his wife Kirsty about the “accidental” purchase in the Rhondda village of Blaencwm, almost exactly halfway between Swansea and Cardiff.
Council officials gave him the green light to transform the former hotel into a gastropub with luxury accommodation.
It is his second such adventure after converting a nearby farm into a B&B, but this time the cameras of the television series follow him.
Martin bought Hendrewen after falling in love with the Rhondda Tunnel Society, a project to reopen a disused railway line under a mountain as a cycle path linking two Welsh valleys.
Full planning consent was given by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council to extend, refurbish and renovate the entire hotel and beer garden.
The 61-year-old TV star was rushed to hospital for emergency heart surgery in 2022 after mistaking chest pains for long Covid.
But Martin learned he was suffering from pericardial effusion, which is a buildup of fluid in the structure surrounding the heart, and he was rushed into life-saving surgery.
The BBC presenter has revealed that he wants to “get on with” what he wants to achieve in his life rather than “take it easy”.
The ambitious plans also include the development of a two-storey self-contained dormitory block containing six disabled rooms, as well as a village shop and activities storage building.
A planning report on its approval said: ‘The proposed works would create an attractively designed development, providing additional space for tourist beds and facilities of a scale appropriate to the size of the site and its location.
“The development would secure the future of the business, be beneficial to both locals and visitors, and support… the rural economy and its communities.”
Speaking previously, he said: “It just screamed at me and I thought I want to take it on, I want to renovate it, I want to make it a place that people would want to come to.”
Martin had the plans backed by Welsh government body Business Wales, although he says he had to dig deep into his own pockets.
He said: “I’m investing so much money, so much time and so much effort into this, it’s really scary, really daunting.”
“There are times I wake up at night in a cold sweat because I know I have to do this for the community; I have to do it and I will do it, but every day there is a list of things to do.” while your arm of problems solves them.’
He said that, if successful, the Rhondda Tunnel would allow people to cycle; “Basically, it would be quicker to cycle from Rhondda to Swansea than it would be to drive it now.”
He said, “I’m like, I have to keep up with this s**t, because I don’t know how much time I have left and it could all be over tomorrow.”
The star also clarified that it’s not about money, but rather why he will be “remembered” in the community.
“It’s amazing and it doesn’t take a lot of money,” he said.
Last year, upon revealing his health problem to sun television magazine, he joked ‘A year ago, I had a heart problem that hadn’t been noticed.
‘The sac around my heart had expanded and was putting pressure on the heart. I had less than a few hours to live.
“If I hadn’t been in the right place… Three weeks earlier I was traveling in a transit van and if it had happened then, I would be dead.”
Martin added that his health problem left him “willing to try anything”, so he signed up for the E4 series The Big Celebrity Detox, in which stars try therapies including drinking their own urine.
In the debut episode, Martin admitted feeling “shaken to the core” by his health scare.
Appearing on the grueling show, which came with a warning to viewers not to attempt homework, Martin reflected on his “horrifically horrible year”.
He said: ‘This year has been incredibly horrible for me. A few months ago, I had a near-death experience and it shook me to my core.
‘I really want this to make a difference, do I think it will happen? The jury is out.
Throughout the first episode, Martin participated in a series of extreme tasks, including drinking his own urine and digesting vomit-inducing seeds.
Elsewhere, in an interview with The mirror He confessed: ‘I cannot underestimate the mental after-effects of what happened to me. You get over the physical things, but it’s the predominant thought that it could all be over.
‘Everything you tried to do, and your family, you realize it could all disappear. They told me I needed to slow down and I took the other side. I hope he has many years but you never know.
Everything that happened to me makes you realize how fine a thread we are hanging on. But you can’t live life living in that fear.’