'Horrific' 60 Minute Makeover banned from TV after widower left livid

An episode of 60 Minute Makeover saw a guest left devastated after the ITV crew destroyed sentimental furniture.

The widower, who had recently lost his wife, came to be involved in the episode after being surprised by his daughter.

Meanwhile, the programme's premise saw the team attempt to redecorate rooms in a house within 60 minutes. 

Former Big Brother winner Craig Phillips appeared on 80 episodes of 60 Minute Makeover in 2008 and opened up about the incident.

Speaking to The Express, he shared: 'One [episode] sticks in mind that just really went downhill - I think it was South Wales way. 

'The way the mechanics of it worked is that the person whose house we're doing genuinely didn't know about it - it's a surprise for them. 

'However, one member of their family did know because they have to be a part of it to set it up and give us access.' 

Craig went on to explain how the guest's daughter 'completely misjudged' her grieving father - and his feelings about items belonging to his late wife.

Craig added: 'On this day, the poor girl takes her dad out so we can get on with the job. 

'During the day, he started getting a little bit upset and wound up. 

'He was like, 'Take me home now,' and she was like, 'No, Dad, let's stay out.'

'She then rang the producer and told her that she had a problem and that her dad was insisting on coming home.

'He couldn't have come home at the time because the house was in its worst state and everything was ripped out.'

Continuing, Craig further said: 'The producer had to tell the girl to have a serious conversation with him and explain that we were doing a 60 Minute Makeover - it was going to be great. 

'The producer told her to reassure him, saying, "If you don't want to be on camera, we won't film you at the end, but please let us do what we started out to do."

'The producer pleaded with her, and she tried to plead with her dad, and it was just a clear no. He took over the car and drove back.

'This poor girl was in a terrible state of upset, as you can imagine. We got told this car is racing back, and we had to try and grab everything. The cameramen were trying to get all the cables together - we really took over the house with production.

'When he turned up, he was really angry and very upset. He was still grieving, so to see a skip with the majority of their furniture broken to pieces.'

The episode ultimately never made it to air, as Craig said: 'I don't know the full ins and outs, but it went beyond the producers and up to head at ITV. 

'It was the only show that we physically worked on and were never allowed to go back into the house. 

'That's unfortunately the way it was. I believe ITV had to go back on additional days and put back as best of what was in there.

'It was a horrific day - it was really sad. It is a very hard job. I loved doing it - I'm not putting the show down. 

'But it was such a horrible day to see someone so upset and angry when you're only trying to do good for them.

'Unfortunately, this poor girl had completely misjudged where her dad's headspace was, and it went wrong. That was the only one that never got aired.'

Meanwhile, it's not the first time Craig has opened up about his experience on 60 Minute Makeover.

He previously told The Daily Star: 'For example, for a kitchen, we are ripping out a kitchen and we're ripping it out on camera, they only need to use 20 or 30 seconds of that kitchen being dismantled.

'So off camera, we will go in, we will isolate all the boarded stuff, the electric, the gas, the water underneath disconnect it, put caps on everything- making sure it's all safe.

'The kitchen tops, we would have loosened all the plugs and undone all the legs.'

The former reality star added that 'on camera when they blow the whistle and we start and we go in and look like we're Superman'.

He explained the transformation is shot in two 30 minute segments and before each one are vital preparations that allow the team to achieve their targets in the allotted time.

If you or someone you know was involved  in this incident please get in touch via tips@dailymail.co.uk - we'd love to hear your side of the story.