Patrick Grant, the 49-year-old judge on BBC's The Great British Sewing Bee, has revealed he endured a difficult period before the start of the latest series. In a post on Twitter to his 60,000 followers on April 14, Grant described having “the most hellish six months of my life.”
However, he said that returning to the set with co-judge Esme Young and presenter Joe Lycett, along with the new contestants, helped him overcome his struggles. “Then I got on set with Joe and Esme and this year's adorable contestants and all the bad things just went away,” he wrote.
Grant did not elaborate on the cause of his difficult period, but his post was met with an outpouring of support from fans. Television writer Sarah Phelps replied, “Such a gorgeous first episode! The pussy T-shirt! THE RED TRIANGLE! Lovely to have you all back x.” Another fan commented, “So pleased for you Patrick. Good friends and laughter will always make things better.”
Outside of his television role, Grant is the director of bespoke tailors Norton & Sons of Savile Row and runs clothing lines E. Tautz & Sons and Community Clothing, as well as textile manufacturer Cookson & Clegg. During the Covid-19 lockdown, he launched the Big Community Sew project, which involved thousands of people making face masks for friends and neighbours.
