A Place in the Sun’s Laura Hamilton’s life from ‘unknown’ disease to sad divorce

Laura Hamilton, the much-loved host of A Place in the Sun, has been entertaining viewers on Channel 4 for more than ten years with her infectious smile and warm-hearted demeanor. The reality TV star juggles raising her two adorable children, Rocco and Tahlia, with her ex-husband Alex Goward, while also being a presenter.

Laura has a wealth of talents and roles to choose from in addition to her parenting and TV responsibilities. Her roots trace back to Scotland, where she holds cherished memories of time spent in Fort William, thanks to her Scottish grandad. Laura told The Daily Record about her early experiences in childhood, recalling that my parents and I traveled by sleeper train to Fort William to visit a skiing range. My first skiing experience came from the sleeper train to Fort William, which was absolutely stunning.

She fondly remembers growing up with outdoor escapades, saying, “As kids, we grew up camping and caravanning”, and added, “I saw a lot of Scotland. It’s beautiful up there. And when I first started my career, I was employed by a Glasgow-based company called Lion TV. For them, I shot a few shows, including Beat My Build, for them. I previously worked on both an event and a concert at Bothwell Castle.

Now, let’s take a closer peek into her personal life…

Marriage and divorce

In January 2022, Laura announced the end of her nine-year marriage to Alex with a poignant Instagram post quoting Dr. Seuss: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”.

Alongside the quote, she shared a personal message: “This isn’t something I ever thought I’d be saying but, after 13 years of being together Alex and I have separated. We would respect privacy for our family at this time because our children are and will continue to be our top priority. Laura”.

She later revealed that their separation was amicable, explaining: “It was a decision we both came to. Although we respect one another very much, our paths are now divergent. At the point it was announced, we’d already overcome a lot of difficult times. However, I consider it fortunate that we have such a close relationship and respect for one another, and that we will always prioritize the happiness of our children.

She’s now rumoured to be in a new relationship with CEO James Pettigrew, 44, who she has been seeing since January.

Glittering career

Laura rose quickly up the ranks after joining Channel 4 to compete against Dermot O’Leary in major competitions like Top of the Pops, The Buckingham Palace Jubilee Celebrations, and Big Brother.

Before joining Nickelodeon, she quickly gained acclaim as Melody in the adored children’s television series Fun Song Factory. Kent-born Laura also hosted A Place in the Sun and hosted Cowboy Builders and Bodge Jobs on Channel 5 as a guest host on ITV’s This Morning.

Pub landlady

Laura, as a guest location presenter. Beyond television, she was the entrepreneurial force behind her former restaurant and deli, Lord Roberts on the Green, which she ran with her ex-partner Alex.

Laura made the decision to leave the project after four years. She announced to her followers in 2022 that the sale of @lordrobertsonthegreen will result in a “happy and sad day all rolled into one” with mixed emotions when she reached out with mixed emotions.

She reflected on her journey, sharing: “Five years ago I decided to embark upon a crazy journey… To rescue the village shop, become the local postmistress, and create a brand and business where we would employ local people and create a local hotspot and an asset in the community”.

Health battle

Laura has also been open about her personal struggles with thrombocytopenia (ITP), a condition that results in bruising and low platelet counts. She bravely shared images of her bruised legs on social media, reassuring fans that it was just a “flare-up” and quipping, “This is ITP! Just a little flare-up this week. But you won’t see it under my dress for filming”!.

In a candid chat with the Daily Star, Laura opened up about her health struggles, saying, “I have something called ITP, Immune thrombocytopenia, which is low platelet count in my blood, its quite an unknown disease. Depending on what’s going on with my life, it kind of flares up and down, and stress frequently causes it.

Up in the air

In an unexpected turn, Laura has embarked on the journey to become a pilot, a dream sparked by her father, Ian Hamilton, who was not only part of a 70s pop group associated with The Wombles but also possessed a private pilot’s licence. Because my father had a private pilot’s license when I was younger, I’ve always been interested in learning to fly. You can never take your foot off the gas in running a business, and you must always keep an eye on the money spent, but this was always something on my bucket list.

Not content with just dreaming, Laura is now taking to the skies like Carol Vorderman, another TV star turned pilot.

“I’m being taught by a BA pilot out of Redhill, Surrey, which is not too far from where I live. I’ve taken a few Cessna 152 lessons, have accumulated 45 hours, and have a lot of exams to pass.

On Friday at 3 p.m., you can watch A Place in the Sun.

Source: Mirror