You might think that after many years on television, advising hapless homeowners on how to make money from property, Sarah Beeny would have her head screwed on when it comes to her own ventures. Yet even the star of Property Ladder and a string of spin-offs can, it seems, allow herself to be guided by her heart instead.
Ten years ago, Beeny paid £400,000 for Rise Hall, a crumbling 97-room Georgian stately set in 30 acres of Yorkshire countryside. The Grade II*-listed house, which had lain empty for a decade and was used as a school for half a century before that, was falling apart. The cost of putting it back together again has already run to £1m — and she’s not finished yet. So