Harry Styles ‘purchases Grand Designs’ saddest ever property in North Devon for £8million ‘

Harry Styles has reportedly purchased a home that featured on Channel 4‘s Grand Designs which was branded the ‘saddest ever’ house.

The pop star, 28, is said to have splashed out a whopping £8million’ on lighthouse-inspired home on the North Devon coast after previously visiting the area last year.

And after ‘falling in love’ with the stunning scenery and rugged landscape, Harry is now said to have a permanent reminder of his trip in the form of Chesil Cliff House, which is Croyde Bay.

A local told The Daily Star: ‘It’s the talk of the village. Harry Styles has apparently bought the house for £8 million. I don’t know whether it’s just Chinese Whispers but that’s what everyone is saying.’

While another local shared: ‘I’d heard that Harry Styles had bought the house. I don’t know whether it’s true but if it is then Harry’s welcome here.’

MailOnline have contacted Harry’s representatives for comment. 

Homeowner Edward Short, 54, put the house up for sale in July this year after spending a decade on the ambitious project which saw him transform his family’s 1950s home into an art-deco white lighthouse.

It featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs in October 2019, and was described as the ‘saddest episode ever’ by many viewers after the music industry executive revealed that the arrival of the recession, building issues and the end of his marriage to wife Hazel had left his dream in tatters.

Setbacks included the 2011 financial crisis which prompted funds to be withdrawn, granite bedrock that took 18 months to drill into, not the expected six, and then Covid halting progress. 

When one lender pulled out in 2018, the house was left derelict, looking more abandoned multi-storey car park than millionaire’s paradise. Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud, visiting in 2019, described it as a ‘desolate carcass’ — on which one irritated local graffitied ‘please finish’. 

Father-of-two Edward remained adamant he would finish the design – yet his dream of an idyllic existence in the stunning cliff-top home in one of Devon’s most picturesque coastal locations was dashed and he admitted earlier last year he would be forced to sell it in the hopes of a £4million profit once it was completed at the end of 2021.

The house was finally put on the market for £10 million this summer- despite not having a kitchen, bathroom, flooring or light fixtures – with Edward insisting it had all been worth it.

He’s now hoping the sale of the mansion will help clear some of his monumental £7million debt that he accrued during the problematic build. 

But One Direction fans needn’t get too excited as estate agents Knight Frank shut down the rumours, telling the Daily Star ‘There is no truth in the rumours that Harry Styles has purchased Chesil Cliff House. The house is still on the market.’

While another local resident branded the Watermelon Sugar hitmaker’s purchase ‘wishful thinking’, suggesting someone put ‘two and two together and came up with five’ when they spotted him in the area recently. 

Meanwhile, amid Harry’s house news, he was left chuckling during his Madison Square Garden gig on Saturday after a fan pelted chicken nuggets at him.

The Golden hitmaker looked bemused as he knelt down onstage to pick up the breaded meat piece and asked the audience: ‘Is this a chicken nugget?!’

He then held the nugget aloft before saying: ‘Interesting, very interesting approach’ and adding: ‘Who threw the chicken nugget? It’s another chicken nugget’ as another was thrown onto the stage.

Despite fan pleas for him to eat the chicken, he responded: ‘I don’t eat chicken, sorry. I don’t eat meat.’

Finding the fan who chucked the food Harry said: ‘There you go, you can have your nugget back. 

‘First of all, this is cold and I’m assuming very old.’

Asking the fan if they would like the nugget back, with the fan responding ‘yes’, Harry retorts: ‘You want it back? Why?’

The singer then threw the food back and said: ‘Alright, here you go. Don’t eat it.’

‘Oh now it’s on the floor, we will get you another nugget, OK? Fear not.’