I lost all purpose when my husband died, but moving to the countryside saved me and launched whole new career

ESCAPE to the Country presenter Briony May Williams assisted a grieving widow in finding her ‘perfect property’ in the countryside.

On the latest instalment of the BBC show, the TV personality welcomed home hunter Kathy and her son, Connor, who had a budget of £925,000.

During the episode, Kathy explained to Briony that after losing her husband, David, three years ago, she was motivated to sell her sizeable six-bedroom house in Hampshire, where she lived with her five sons and late partner. 

The mother of five felt the house was too big for her now that her sons were all adults and looked to downsize somewhere in the countryside. 

At the beginning of the recent instalment of Escape to the Country, Kathy emotionally addressed the viewers about the reasons why she wanted to move.

She said: "For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to move to the country or down to the Dorset coastline.

“It's somewhere that I went as a child on holiday, and I just feel a connection to it, and I feel comfortable there."

She added: "My lifestyle now is basically, I'm just treading water, I don't feel like I got a purpose anymore, so I need something to get me up and going.

“I need something that's going to keep me focused again. I want a new lease of life, a whole new life."

During the show, Kathy was shown four properties, including a Grade II listed thatch cottage in the village of Dalwood and another thatched cottage in Dorset near the town of Whitchurch Canonicorum,

The last two properties she was shown were a stunning sandstone Georgian former farmhouse near Bridport, Dorset and a final mystery property which was a Grade II listed cottage dating back to the 1500s.

Kathy and her son loved the first property, which needed some work and the second property, which they described as having a Mediterranean vibe to it due to its walled garden.

The third house, which was on sale for £850,000, didn’t seem to impress Kathy, nor did the last mystery house, which was on sale for  £900,00.

After viewing and assessing all four properties, Kathy decided not to opt in for any of the properties offered to her. 

As filming ended, she revealed: "He'd be shoving me, he'd be really pleased for me that I'm finally moving forward and starting to live again and get out there and enjoying life."

Even though her house hunting continues, Kathy is confident in knowing that  No matter what, David will always be with her every step of the way.

Escape to the Country is available on BBC iPlayer.