Presenter Kirstie Allsopp was airlifted to hospital for leg surgery after suffering a fall on a steep beach path in Devon during a family holiday.
The 55-year-old Location, Location, Location star slipped on a muddy patch while walking back from a birthday picnic at Welcombe Mouth with her husband Ben Anderson and her sons Bay, 20, and Oscar, 18.
Devon is a county in South West England known for its rugged coastline and steep coastal paths. Emergency services were called to locate Allsopp on the beach and transport her for hospital treatment after she slipped on a muddy step.
Sharing images from her hospital bed, including a picture of her bandaged leg and foot, Allsopp explained that it took a whole host of people to track down her location on the beach so an air ambulance could reach her. The Cornwall Air Ambulance service transported the broadcaster to hospital where surgeons operated on her injured leg.
Writing on social media, Allsopp said: "Almost every year since Oscar was born we have celebrated my birthday at Meadowgate, one of my favourite places on earth."
She continued: "We have a picnic on the beach at Welcombe Mouth, a swim and a walk back to the house for some cake, unfortunately I slipped on a muddy patch on the steep path, and it took a whole host of people to get me to hospital."
Updating her followers on her recovery and sharing an X-ray of her injured knee, Allsopp said: "They have operated on the leg and I'll be home soon. It'll be a boot and crutches for a while but I feel very, very lucky that it was possible to reach me and get me to hospital so quickly, and I have a job that I can do on crutches."
In a lengthy Instagram post, the television presenter paid tribute to the ambulance and hospital staff who took care of her, describing herself as very, very lucky that emergency responders were able to reach her position on the shore. She added: "Not a birthday I am going to forget in a hurry and again, THANK YOU to all those who have been involved in my care."
Emergency rescue on beach path
Allsopp was visiting the beach alongside her husband, property tycoon Ben Anderson, and her sons Bay and Oscar. The couple married in January 2025 after more than 20 years together.
Allsopp shared a photograph of the Cornwall Air Ambulance service as the crew made their way to her on the beach. Cornwall Air Ambulance is a registered charity that operates emergency medical helicopters across Cornwall and surrounding coastal areas.
The property guru also showed her followers an X-ray of her injured knee following her surgery, confirming she would be home soon after undergoing the operation on her leg.
Behind the scenes of Location Location Location
Allsopp has become a staple of British television through her work on Channel 4 property programme Location, Location, Location alongside her longtime co-host Phil Spencer. Location, Location, Location is a long-running British television series that helps house hunters find suitable properties across the United Kingdom.
During a recent appearance on daytime TV show This Morning, Allsopp joked that she was actually Spencer's "second choice" for the presenting job when the series was first developed.
Recalling the casting process, Allsopp said: "There was an Italian girl with legs up to here," before pointing to her upper chest during the broadcast. She added: "Phil really, really wanted her but the problem was, her accent was so strong."
Shaking his head, Spencer responded: "That's not quite true," but Allsopp continued: "And then there was a really sweet girl who was an estate agent but I think that she probably was a bit intimidated by the whole thing."
Allsopp added: "He sort of ended up with me by default, we did a non-transmissible pilot - thank God that will never come to air - and we both thought, 'Oh, that was fun, but we've got real jobs.' Then, they commissioned the show and they asked us to present it!"
Property negotiations and fridge photos
The presenting duo also reflected on the shock expressed by show fans and contributors alike about how involved they remain behind the scenes in the property searching and buying process.
Allsopp and Spencer joked that their picture is featured on a number of fridges after helping families and couples find their dream property up and down the country.
Speaking about her work, Allsopp said: "It's such a lovely thing to have a job which means that every time you meet anyone, you can have a conversation about something that really matters to them, it's a great privilege."
Spencer added: "I've done several re-visits, which we love doing going back a few years later, and it's really special to find a picture of us and the crew on the day that we filmed and the day we found their house."
Allsopp recalled a recent conversation with an estate agent while negotiating a property deal on a Friday. She said: "I was talking to an estate agent on Friday, I was negotiating a deal that we made, and at the end I said, 'Keep my number, if there's a problem, ring me...' and he said, 'I thought it was all fake,'"
Spencer described a similar reaction from house buyers during filming. He said: "I had a couple, we'd done three days filming and we sat in the pub at the end of the show and we were discussing tactics and value and negotiation, and I got my phone out to ring the agent." He added: "They went, 'Hang on, you're not actually going to do that are you?'"
Allsopp concluded: "People think that Phil and I end every working day in a pub, pretending to make a telephone call!"
Off-camera friendship and secret wedding
The co-hosts previously raised eyebrows among fans when Spencer failed to attend Allsopp's wedding in January 2025. Tying the knot with property tycoon Ben Anderson in a secret ceremony at Grosvenor Chapel in Mayfair, London, the star's co-host was notably absent from the celebrations.
However, it was later revealed that the event was so heavily cloaked in secrecy that even attending guests were unaware they were attending a wedding until the last minute before the service.
While Allsopp and Spencer have been great friends of 25 years, they revealed that they never socialise outside of work commitments. Speaking in an interview with The Telegraph, Allsopp confessed: "We don't socialise, because we work so much together."
Spencer added: "But we're very, very fond of each other. There's no one else who's been through this experience. I put Kirstie among the most important people in my life."
Allsopp added that they have been present for each other during major milestones throughout their 25-year relationship. She said: "In the most significant parts of our lives, we've been there for each other. I think Phil was one of the first people I ever told I was pregnant."
