Heartbreak as ex-Royal Navy pilot, 35, dies from most cancers simply months after constructing his dream house along with his spouse on Channel 4 present

An ex-Royal Navy pilot who appeared on George Clarke’s Building Home has tragically passed away just months after completing his dream property. 

Chris Hindle, 35, featured on last night’s episode of the Channel 4 show with his wife Ellie, as they sought to build their dream home in the picturesque Ribble Valley in Lancashire. 

But Chris and Ellie were racing against the clock, as the former pilot had been given just months to live after a devastating stage four cancer diagnosis. 

The couple, who had been living in Cornwall, made the 300-mile journey back to Chris’s hometown to build a home in the countryside and spend more time with his family in his final months. 

Despite their tight time frame and multiple setbacks, they managed to complete their stunning dormer bungalow with countryside views, moving in just in time to spend a final Christmas there with friends and family. 

The finished property was immaculate, including glass sliding doors overlooking rolling countryside, while a freestanding bath next to the window upstairs gave a luxury feel to the home.  

At the end of the programme a tribute flashed up to Chris, revealing he had passed away in November 2024, just months after filming concluded. 

Viewers were left heartbroken after finding out Chris has passed away, praising him as a ‘remarkable’ and ‘inspiring’ man. 

One person said: ‘I’m in bits. F***ing cancer.’ 

Others wrote: ‘What a legacy, but so sad for his lovely wife and family’;

‘Thoughts to his family at this sad time. A brave man’;

‘I’m so sad he didn’t make it what a lovely guy and his wife. heartbreaking’;

‘Loved the positivity of the chap, was truly hoping he will be the exception, one of those who beat cancer. So sad to see he passed. Hoped they’ll have years living there, looks like it was probably just months’;

‘He knew he had a short time left but was determined to get the house built for his wife’;

‘Remarkable young guy on oddly named programme George Clarke ’s Building Home. Wishing the best to enjoy a finished home.’

Chris had been diagnosed with cancer after finding a lump in his leg. Soon after, tests showed that the disease had spread, and he was told it was terminal. 

After moving back home to Lancashire from Cornwall, he and Ellie decided to purchase and knock down the old bungalow that had belonged to Chris’s grandparents and build a modern home in its place. 

Their ambitious plans saw them design a modern dormer bungalow with an added floor in the loft space, all in time to be moved in by Christmas.  

Prior to filming, Chris had undergone a gruelling six rounds of chemotherapy, losing his eyebrows and his hair in the process. 

But every three weeks, he had a break from the treatment, and he and Ellie would go on an adventure to make the most of their time together, including holidays and even climbing Mount Snowdon. 

Ellie said: ‘That was a fairly bleak period, it was really sad.’

But Chris added: ‘At some point this disease is going to get me, but until it does I’m just determined to live the best life I can.

‘I just park it. I get treated every five weeks but outside of that I have four weeks of being a normal, healthy guy. You can live with a stage four terminal disease, you don’t have to stop doing stuff. It just feels extra special to end up home.’

After suffering a number of delays, including one of their sliding glass doors being smashed, bad weather and 1,400 bricks delivered to the wrong location, the house was in a livable state in the nick of time. 

Meanwhile, Chris was having to take regular time out from the building process to receive his chemotherapy treatment.  

But Chris stayed positive throughout it all, completing much of the building work himself, and asking everyone if they wanted ‘a brew’ after a major window smashed.  

Ellie and Chris managed to move in on the day before Christmas Eve, meaning they could host Christmas as they’d planned. 

At the end of the show, host George visited the couple to see the finished result, and was blown away by what they’d done. 

Despite going over their budget with £330,000 spent, they had managed to produce a spectacular result. 

The couple had built a wide and bright grand hallway with countryside views and an open plan living space. 

They had a deep green shaker style kitchen, mirroring the panelling in the living room. 

Upstairs, they’d built a first floor in the loft space, featuring a master bedroom suite with a free-standing bath and views over the countryside. 

Emotionally, Chris admitted: ‘It feels fitting to have ended up here. I can’t believe how far we’ve come.’ 

He added that he’d left a part of himself in the home, in ‘every brick’ that he’d laid by hand.  

At the end of the show, a tribute showed on screen, reading: ‘In memory of Chris Hindle – 1989 to 2024.’ 

During the show, architect George Clarke meets people who are taking on challenging huge builds for powerful emotional reasons, from being drawn back to an area that they’ve always loved or a place with strong family memories, to taking on a house that’s close to their heart – like historic ruins that need rescuing, or a wreck of a beach house. 

He follows them as they uproot their lives, stretch their finances and test their relationships, all in order to build wonderful homes of their dreams. 

George Clarke’s Building Home airs Wednesdays at 9pm on Channel 4. The first episode is available to watch now.