Michael Jackson's former bodyguard has spoken out about his failed £7.5m bid for a lighthouse-inspired 'saddest ever' Grand Designs home. Matt Fiddes, who was a minder for King of Pop over several years, tabled the multi-million pound offer for Chesil Cliff House but saw it rejected by owner Edward Short.
The home on the North Devon coast in Croyde featured on the hit Channel 4 show twice in the past and was dubbed its 'saddest ever' project. But Matt, 44, who runs a martial arts company worth £120m, failed in his efforts buy the art deco lighthouse, which is now being split up and sold as two properties.
He said: "He should have taken my offer as I would have turned one section into luxury apartments and the other into an Airbnb. If it does come on sale for a realistic price I will buy it but not as it is right now as he’s (Mr Short) flogging a dead horse.”
READ MORE: Fans 'devastated' after doughnut shop forced to close
Matt, who watched over the private life for the pop megastar for more than a decade, had earlier confirmed the potential purchase as an 'achievement stamp' for him. The multi-millionaire said he left school at 16 with just £100 and no qualifications to live in Croyde and work as a lifeguard for £2.75 an hour.
But he said he was evicted from his bedsit at 17 as he couldn't afford the £35 a week rent. Since then, he has built a global fitness empire with more than 1,000 schools across the world.
Speaking of his initial bid, Matt said: "I see this as an achievement stamp for me. I had a painful time in Croyde when I was younger because I was evicted.
"But this property is five minutes away from my first rental when I moved out from my mum and dad's in Swindon. I have memories of planning my business and my dreams in Croyde so we've come full circle.
"People told me I wouldn't make it and it wouldn't work out. But I've been buying houses since I was 18 and it doesn't matter I can't write well because I only have to sign autographs and cheques."
The home was previously reported to have interested Harry Styles but this rumour was later quashed. It is located on a cliff featured in two episodes of the popular Channel 4 show and was dubbed the 'saddest ever' project.
Costs spiralled out of control for owner Edward Short when he tried to transform the house into an art deco lighthouse. The build plunged the owner into £7 million of debt and cost him his marriage.
Chesil Cliff House was originally listed on Knight Frank's website for £10 million and boasts an infinity pool with three acres of land. It was close to being purchased before a mystery buyer pulled out and has now been put back on the market.
It has been split into two with the main house being offered for £7.5 million while the second adjacent beach development called 'The Eye' is available for £2.5 million. Matt added: “I advised the owner to sell the two properties separately and now he is doing it but he couldn’t before due to the estate agents,” said Matt.
“That place is worth no more than £3m or £4m so he has missed his chance.” Speaking earlier of his desire to buy the home, Matt said: "My parents are from Old Town (in Swindon) and every year we would go on caravan holidays to Croyde.
"My home will always be in Swindon; it's a great place to be and people always tell me they're proud of me." Mr Short, 53, earlier this year revealed he was now in a position to sell the extraordinary Chesil Cliff House after spending a decade working on it.
The property featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs in October 2019 and followed Edward and his family as misfortune beset the project leaving the house unfinished and with the family plunged into millions of pounds worth of debt.
The show also revealed that the process had taken a strain on Edward's personal life, resulting in his separating from his wife Hazel. Despite all the problems, Edward remained adamant he would finish.
Edward said earlier the time was right to move on. He added: "I’ll always be proud to have finished this. I owe it to my family to have a real end result, but the time has come to move on. I will have achieved what I set out to do, never deviating from the plans, and for that I’ll always be proud."
The house has been anchored into the bed rock of the cliff, painstakingly engineered to a level that leaves no possibility for erosional hazard. Edward, a dad-of-two, said he had no option but to sell it to cover the large amount of money he had to borrow and said the total costs were set to reach £6m.
He added: "These past ten years have been a marathon slog - and I have got used to being a millionaire in debt. I've accepted the only way forward is to finish and sell it."
Read next
Major update to Pyramid stage ahead of Glastonbury
Marvin Rees compares Bristol's rental market to 'Wild West' as he calls for action
