A Place in the Sun presenter Ben Hillman has confirmed he has picked up the keys to a micro-home he bought at auction in Shoreham, calling the moment "a magical moment indeed."
The Channel 4 show has returned with a new season, and the second instalment sees Hillman head to the Ionian Sea. He has been one of the main hosts of the programme since 2016, joining the team with property knowledge gained from running his own interior design business.
After studying Product and Furniture Design at Ravensbourne College, he found early success designing and launching F-LUX lighting, one of the world's first portable LED lights. He has also completed a self-build project in Brighton, transforming a 1970s block of flats and adding a new penthouse apartment on the existing flat roof.
Hospital dash after water slide injury
Back in 2022, Hillman ended up in hospital after a water slide injury that left him with fractured and dislocated bones. He had been on a family holiday in France when he updated his fans on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself in a hospital bed with a plate of hospital food.
He wrote: "Not the French cuisine I had in mind for the first day of our family holiday! Managed to acquire an open fracture/dislocation on the water slide." He went into detail, saying the bone was protruding through his skin.
Offering advice to his followers, he added: "Word to the wise, don't forget your travel insurance this summer. Have fun out there guys. Hats off to the French healthcare/emergency services." Four weeks on from the accident, he had a metal rod removed from his thumb, comparing his two hands and saying: "It's going to take some time to get it moving again. My thumb seems to have grown."
Family life and "DIY girls"
Hillman lives in Shoreham-By-Sea with his wife and two children. He has been married to NHS worker Gaby since 2011. The couple share daughters Hope Blossom and Honour Willow, and Hillman often shares photos of his family on Instagram.
His daughters often help him out with renovation work at their home, and he calls them his "DIY girls." Back in 2024, after renovating a bedroom, he shared a photo of himself and his girls at work, saying: "This has been a few months in the making, as and when I've had time to work on it. It's been great getting back on the tools though, especially with the DIY girls and for such a special occasion."
Tiny House project in Shoreham
In October 2026, Hillman sealed the deal on a micro-home he bought at auction in Shoreham, and at the start of November he confirmed he had picked up the keys. He filmed the interior of the house, sharing: "Got the keys to Tiny House today. Instantly regretted it."
He described the property, saying: "Asbestos in the ceiling, pipes crawling round the walls, a floor that breathes, a lintel that wants me dead… and a boarded-up door nobody can explain. Happy Halloween. Now watch me exorcise the lot." Fans wished him luck on the venture, with one commenting: "Congratulations! Let the fun begin! Can't wait to watch your progress @benhillmantv."
In a separate video, he documented the milestone by saying: "A magical moment indeed, it's completion day and we've got the keys to Tiny House." He added: "The good news is, I have just completed on Tiny House and the better news than that is I'm in the queue at Disneyland waiting for Ratatouille, awesome."
Hillman will continue to document his renovation work at Tiny House on his Instagram account. A Place in the Sun airs on Channel 4 on weekdays at 6pm.
