Sarah Beeny's 53rd birthday is approaching, but that certainly doesn't mean she's slowing down.
Alongside filming for her TV show, A New Life in the Country, the property expert is traveling the UK supporting her four children in their band, The Entitled Sons, and is working on overhauling the Somerset home she owns with her partner Graham – it's enough to make even the most energetic of people feel tired, but Sarah is taking it all in her stride.
"My energy is the same but my fuse is shorter," Sarah says of how she feels, post-menopause. Of realising she was in menopause, Sarah told HELLO!: "I thought that I might be pregnant, then I realised that it was menopause. I was like, 'Of course, duh,'."
© Photo: InstagramWhile Sarah says her patience is thinner now, she notes she can't entirely blame menopause. "I was thinking last night, I do not know whether it's menopause or whether it's having four children who are kind of annoying.
"Having four sons who are young adults and think that they're adults, yet act like they're babies is enough to give you a short fuse!"
Shifting dynamics
Sarah notes that her relationship with her sons has shifted since the band, who played at Glastonbury this year, took off.
"They were lovely when they were little but they get more complicated when they are older," Sarah says of her son, who range in age from 12 to 20.
"When they were little they were full of cuddles and climbed into my bed in the morning and then one day, about three years ago I said to my youngest, 'Are you are coming into bed this morning?' And he just went, 'Why? What's the matter?' It's mad."
That said, Sarah's time is still dedicated to her sons, with the 52-year-old explaining: "I am on tour with Graham and the boys all the time."
That said, Sarah's time is still dedicated to her sons, with the 52-year-old telling HELLO! "I am on tour with Graham and the boys all the time."
READ: Who is Sarah Beeny's husband?
Her hectic schedule means Sarah doesn't have time to take care of herself. "I travel a lot and I do not have a lot of time to exercise," she laments, adding: "My life's always been all over the country, dashing about all over the place, getting very familiar with trains."
Since decamping to Somerset, however, Sarah is feeling calmer. "What I like now is that I am a bit more centralised. I am in the same place as the kids and life is in the same place and work is in the same place.
"I have a lot of things that are in the same place now, and that's lovely and I do think the countryside is beautiful."
Small fixes
While transforming their Somerset home has been a huge job, Sarah is working with HomeServe on their Tiny Fixes campaign, which encourages UK homeowners to get stuck into the little jobs at home to prevent bigger problems down the line – something Sarah is all too familiar with.
"It's one of my rants, because it is so frustrating when you go into a house and you think, 'Well, it's pretty much falling down, but if someone had just taken the leaves out of the gutter, then the water would not have run over, you would not have had the water coming in the house, all the plaster would not have blown up, you would not have dry rot.
"There are tiny things that people can do in their homes, which saves them so much money in the long run," Sarah laments. "If you get on with the small fixes it will save money and it will save a lot of hassle in the long run."
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