My retreat in the sun nearly Costa my sanity

TV property expert Jasmine Harman thought moving her family to southern Spain to restore a rundown villa would be a breeze... even with a camera crew in tow. But there was trouble on the horizon

- By Fran Winston

FOR OVER 20 years, Jasmine Harman has helped Britons find their perfect home abroad as a property expert on Channel 4's A Place In The Sun.

And two years ago, after deciding to practise what she preaches on screen, the 49-year-old announced her plans to decamp her family that's cameraman husband Jon Boast, daughter Joy, 12, and son Albion, 10 - from South London to Estepona on Spain's Costa del Sol.

So far, so good. However, despite her extensive know-how, Jasmine admits her own personal renovation was far more time-consuming, expensive and stressful than she could have ever imagined especially as she had bought a “wreck” while inviting the TV cameras to document every moment.

Now we're all invited to witness the madness as Jasmine’s Renovation In The Sun arrives on Channel 4 this evening.

The 15-part series documents the family’s new life in Spain, juggling their everyday responsibilities while Jasmine and Jon try to fix a property plagued by overflowing rubbish, exposed wires and a disused hot tub growing fungus.

Speaking ahead of its launch over Zoom from her Spanish four-bed villa, Jasmine says one of the biggest challenges initially was helping Jon, Joy and Albion to feel at ease on camera.

“My husband works behind the camera normally, so being in front of it was a big deal for him,” she smiles. “It was a big adjustment. He's not used to that.

“Sometimes it was quite tough for the children, because if they had been at school and were tired and we wanted to film something...” she trails off with a sigh. “We did really fun things, which we wouldn't have done otherwise but there were times when the filming slightly encroached on family life.”

Ever the professional, Jasmine understands that the success of renovation shows hinges on the challenges and chaos of the restoration.

“That was the whole point of it, it was basically full access filming,” she says.