Getting paid to sun yourself as you peruse beautiful Spanish properties with a pair of keen house hunters sounds like a dream job for many, but for Bristolian TV presenter Craig Rowe, this is his sparkling reality.
Over the last few weeks, fans of the established property series 'A Place in the Sun' have been living vicariously through Craig and his shirts of many colours, as he goes househunting with prospective buyers in the most picturesque places.
But although he may be miles away from us when he appears on our televisions, Craig brings a touch of Bristol to the small screen, with his warm personality and familiar Bristolian accent.
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Having grown up in Kingswood and Cadbury Heath, Craig, 49, attended The Grange School for secondary school and sixth form, before heading off to London with his younger sister in his mid-20s. Although, the presenter says he is still very much attached to the city, as his parents live in Hanham now and his sister lives in Patchway.
And says he loves returning to our city, especially to visit Cabot Circus and Clifton.
He said: "I still very much over the years have always been back and forth to Bristol. It’s been interesting, even though I left Bristol a long time ago, it’s still very much part of my life.
"My partner, who I’ve been with for about five years, had never been to Bristol, and I’ve been saying for years that I’d take him, so when everything opened up in May we went for the weekend.
"It was so nice because I showed him where I grew up, but also I could show him Cabot Circus and Clifton.
"We had a really good weekend, and he really fell in love with the city as well which is brilliant."
Craig wanted to be an actor growing up, but wasn't sure how to pursue his dream, so he went to university instead to study Business and Languages, which he enjoyed as he could adopt the persona of someone who was fluent in a foreign language, he tells us.
Explaining how he got into television, Craig said: "When I was at university, at about 21, I saw this advert; they were looking for a new presenter for a TV show on Channel Four. I applied for it and I got shortlisted for the last ten, but I never got the job,
"And that sort of made me think that maybe presenting was an option. Then I got into working in the travel industry, and when I was spending more time in London I started working behind the scenes in TV, so it wasn’t until I was in my mid-30s that I actually got a job as a television presenter."
Not only did Craig have a strong interest in television and travel, but he also knew his stuff when it came to property. Having become a homeowner with his sister at 25, Craig then ended up buying more properties, and even bought his sister out.
Gushing about his new role on A Place In The Sun, Craig said: "I know it's a cliche to say but A Place in the Sun is a dream job because I’ve always liked travelling, I’ve had an interest in property since my mid-20s and obviously I’ve worked in TV, so it was like the three things coming together.
"My ultimate favourite bit is that moment when, if I've found the right property for the house hunters, they say they want to put an offer in, and then when their offer is accepted and I know we’ve done it."
Aside from the fact Craig has been widely praised as a natural by 'A Place in the Sun' fans, the star has kept all eyes on him with his attention-grabbing, brightly-hued shirts.
But according to Craig, these amazing clothes are not part of his usual wardrobe.
He said: "I made a conscious decision that my style for this show had to be different to anything I’ve done before.
"Believe it or not, naturally, I’m a bit of a scruffbag - for a lot of the TV I do, I dress quite smartly. So, for 'A Place in the Sun' I knew I needed colour, I needed print.
"Most of the things I wear on 'A Place in the Sun' I probably wouldnt wear in real life because they're quite loud, but for the show I thought they were just perfect. They scream holiday and they scream beach and that's what I wanted to do.
Craig has been touched by the amount of support he's received since appearing on the show for the first time. Despite 'A Place in the Sun' being an established property show, he says that viewers have been 'really welcoming'.
But not everything has been a walk in the park, as Craig had a wake up call when filming his first few episodes abroad.
The star said: "I'm prediabetic - I do have to be careful what I eat and how much exercise I do because I put on weight very easily and the minute I start putting on weight, my blood sugar goes up really high.
"With all the excitement of 'A Place in the Sun', I kind of just took my eye off the ball. We’re staying in hotels, and often in hotels they have a buffet breakfast.
"You don't just have a piece of fruit and yoghurt, you have granola and croissants and eggs and bread and jam,
"And of course, in the evenings, we would go for dinner with the house hunters and have something to drink and something to eat,
"I noticed I was starting to put weight on again, so I've kind of got myself back in check now but I’m about to start filming in a few weeks time. I’ve realised what I’ve got to do, not saying I’ve got to be Mr Sensible all the time but I’ve got to really try to learn, when I’m on the road, to incorporate the habits I’ve learnt in my day to day life."
Craig, whose grandfather had diabetes, says he wants Black and Asian people in particular to be aware of the signs of diabetes, as they are more susceptible to the disease than Caucasian people.
When asked what he would like to do next, Craig has an idea for a blood sugar friendly cooking show, in which he could incorporate his love of travel and property into by going to the homes of celebrities and cooking with them, and perhaps even go overseas and cook local cuisine. The idea of a beautiful chocolate French tart without simple carbs or sugar seems to really appeal to him.
In terms of reality television, nothing massively appeals to Craig, aside from one show: "The only kind of thing I ever thought I would do," He says, "If I got famous enough, was Strictly Come Dancing.
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"I really like dancing, I was in a dance company for a while in London and funnily enough, even though I’ve got quite good rhythm and quite good musicality, I’m not very good at learning choreography.
"My dance teacher always used to say to me, 'Craig you've got great performance, you will sing, you will put on a show, but actually remembering steps - you’re hopeless.'
"To be honest, I think because I've just started this and this, for me, is like a dream job, I haven't really thought beyond this; I'm new, I really want to get to know the show, get to know the different areas,
"I'm learning a lot about the property markets in Spain and Barbados - I'd like to learn about it more in Croatia and Portugal and maybe further countries. At the moment, it just feels like my focus is on 'A Place in the Sun', I really want to get to know the audience, I want to get them to know me, and whatever else happens, happens."
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