Escape to the Country's Jules Hudson faces heartbreak with family loss and takes career break

Escape to the Country's Jules Hudson has opened up about the double tragedy of losing his father and then his cherished dogs.

The 54-year-old presenter, a familiar face on Escape to the Country since 2007, shared the sad news that his dad passed away at 93 in 2022, which left him devastated.

In a candid interview with The Sun, he expressed his sorrow: "He was a great guy, I loved him to bits. When you are trying to steer your loved ones through the final stages of their lives, it is really challenging and it's very emotional."

He went on to discuss the difficulties of grieving: "I made the mistake of trying to put it to the back of my mind. With all the stuff that comes with the loss of somebody very close to you, there's a horrible amount of administration that you have to go through. I probably didn't spend enough time dealing with it. I find myself now having to catch up a bit, and it's catching me quite unaware. You can get quite emotional when you least expect it."

The heartache was compounded by the subsequent loss of his dogs to cancer. Hudson had previously remarked on the profound impact of losing pets, he said: "You absolutely can put the death of a pet on a par with people. They are a huge part of our lives."

It was reported in March that Hudson took a hiatus from filming the BBC series for a "creative and emotional" break, reports the Mirror.

He then chose to embark on a 12-week course in furniture making. In an interview with the Lyme Regis and Bridport News he stated: "Late last year, I realised I was quite burnt out and needed a creative and emotional reset. It was a family discussion, and we are investing in our future."

Eagerly, Jules is preparing to undertake the course at the Boat Building Academy, a place he had previously visited in 2012 during filming and cherished his time there.

He further added: "It stuck in my mind, and I always wanted to return. But when you have a family and are working, life just moves on, and you go with it."

Jules, in his search for more green space, moved from London with his family. Speaking to The Times in 2020, he expressed: "I found London very claustrophobic. There's an energy about it that I absolutely love, but I need green fields and space."

After marrying in 2016, he relocated to the West Midlands.

Elaborating on this, he revealed: "We knew what we were looking for - something with space, something with outbuildings. And having its own plot was really important to me."

Jules will be taking a temporary absence from the show since he had previously mentioned his desire to host the show for as long as possible. In an earlier interview with The Express, he shared: "I hope to do Escape to the Country for as long as I'm able and for as long as the show will have me. For me, country life is absolutely who I am and it's who I was before I came to present Escape to the Country.

"It's a massive step for lots of people, so having the chance to share that, that experience, those tips and tricks, it's very much a way of life for me. I absolutely love it, it's a show I'm incredibly fond of. It's very dear to me."

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