Sarah Beeny admits her marriage was ‘hanging on by fingernails’ during cancer battle

Sarah Beeny says her 20-year-marriage to business partner Graham Swift came to the brink of collapse while she battled breast cancer.

The 51-year-old property expert tied-the-knot with 49-year-old Graham in 2003 and together they share four sons; Billy, 19, Charlie, 17, Rafferty, 15, and Laurie, 13. In August 2022, Sarah shared news that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy to battle the disease. She also underwent a mastectomy to battle the cancer.

In April this year, Sarah gave a health update and shared the happy news that her treatments had been successful and doctors had given her the all clear and she had beaten the disease. However, Sarah has confessed she was “particularly horrible” during the course of her treatment - and it put a major strain on her marriage.

Speaking to Gabby Logan on The Mid-Point Podcast, Sarah said: “We’re hanging on in there by our fingernails. I mean, it’s not easy, is it? Graham always said, ‘the day we have to work at our marriage, I’m going to leave’.

"And I was like, ‘really?’ But I think he has had to work at it to be honest. I was being particularly horrible, because I have been a bit horrible in the last couple of years to be honest at times.”

Explaining further, Sarah continued: “I was being particularly horrible, he said, ‘you know the thing is Sarah, you’re not prepared to leave and have your children half the time, and neither am I, so we’re going to stay together. And we’re going to stay together happily or unhappily, so which would you like it to be?’

“And I was like, oh that is quite dark, isn’t it? He said ‘you wanna be happy or unhappy, because either way we’re still going to live together’, so I was like, ‘OK we’ll do happy then, shall we?’ he was like, ‘what a good idea. Maybe you should be a bit nicer?’ I was like, ‘yeah alright I will.’ So logical, isn’t it?”

Sarah said she was able to confide in her brother, Diccon - and he ultimately gave her sage advice. She explained: “I rang my brother … and said, ‘right that’s it, Graham’s being so annoying, I think we’re going to split up,’ and he listened to me for ages, yeah, yeah, yeah, he said, ‘I get it Sarah, it must be horrendous being married to him.

“The only thing I think that could be worse is being married to you.’ So I suggest you go and make up! So all is well.”