Top News

Having worked together on home renovation projects for several years, it hasn't always been plain sailing for presenters Stuart Douglas and Scarlette Douglas. The siblings have fronted Channel 4's Worst House on the Street since 2021 and began presenting Can't Sell, Must Sell in 2025. They have taken things one step further with their next project, Keys or Coffee, where one member of the public can win a brand new house - designed by social media - for the price of a coffee. The announcement of their new renovation project came around the same time Can't Sell, Must Sell was renewed for a second series.

During an episode which aired in 2025, Stuart and Scarlette headed to Kent to rescue a property which had been on the market for seven months. The four-bedroom property located in Margate was owned by a retired cleaner named Gail, who had lived there for 36 years. However, attention in Gail's home quickly shifted to the life-sized dolls displayed in every room. Local property enthusiasts suggested the house was struggling to sell because it felt "busy" and lacked space, largely due to the sheer number of dolls.

Gail, however, was unimpressed by their verdict, feeling the comments were insensitive and "rude". With the property still stuck on the market, Stuart and Scarlette eventually had to explain that removing the dolls would significantly improve her chances of securing a buyer.

Recalling the moment they had to break the news to her, Stuart exclusively told us: "She did not want to get rid of them, no matter what said. We were like, 'It's okay for you to have these if you're living here. But you're trying to sell your house. You cannot have these showing when there are viewings because it will scare people.' It scared us!"

The 47-year-old revealed an off-camera moment, where Gail point-blank refused to agree to move the dolls out of the house, until a few softer words from Scarlette, 38, convinced her to change her mind.

"What they didn't show on camera, it was almost like good cop, bad cop," Stuart said. "I had to go in and say, 'If you want this house to sell, you must do this. Whether you like it or not, you have to listen.' The barriers were up, she was so guarded."

Ensure our latest showbiz headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

"In the end, maybe the softer approach worked," Stuart admitted, nodding towards his sister. "In the end, she listened and was happy with the way it was."

Though initially reluctant, Gail ultimately agreed, and Scarlette later revealed she was moved to tears after the transformation, overwhelmed with joy at the result.

"But some people really don't want to make the change and they don't, no matter how much you explain it to them, they can't see it," Stuart said.

Reflecting on why some homeowners react defensively, Scarlette explained: "I think they feel offended because it's their personal taste that's being critiqued.

"We explained that if they were living in it for the rest of your life, you can have it however you want, but to sell it, you have to appeal to the vast majority and this is not appealing to anybody other than yourself.

"If you take yourself out of the equation and the fact you want to sell this home, you have to make it appealing. Once they realise that and realise we're not specifically picking at them, they then start to understand."

The I'm A Celebrity star added: "But we've never had a reveal where someone's been like, 'This is horrendous. I remember when we used to watch Changing Rooms way back in the day and you'd see people walk in and be like, 'What have you done to my house?' We've never had that and I pray and touch wood that that never happens."

Stuart and Scarlette launched Keys or Coffee in December last year. With the help of social media, they are creating a home that one lucky person will win for £3 - the price of an average coffee.

Every part of the home is designed by the public, who are invited to choose between three design options for different parts of the property, covering everything from doors, kitchens, worktops, flooring and bathroom styles.

Keys and Coffee was launched in the hopes of making home ownership "accessible, meaningful and exciting".

"What I love about this is that the property in the prize draw is right by the coast. After Covid, a lot of people started to move outwards, whether that be by the countryside or the coast because they realised how important it is to be outside," Scarlette said.

"Having something like this is great because if it's a first or second home for you, you're a 10 minute walk from the beach so in that respect, I think it's fantastic.

Scarlette pointed out the challenges faced by those who win high-value properties in prize draws, acknowledging that the homes are normally far beyond someone's budget, meaning they struggle to afford the ongoing maintenance and upkeep.

She continued: "A lot of these houses that are given away in prize draws are very big, sometimes a million plus, and I think as much as that's fantastic, they're very costly to run with the bills, upkeep and cleaning."

"But with something like this, this is a two-bedroom property. It's beautiful, spacious and going to look brand new. It's a realistic place that anybody can live in and afford to keep."

Explaining why now was the perfect time to launch Keys or Coffee, Scarlette added: "We all know that cost of living is through the roof right now, so to have somewhere that you can win for three pounds, but is somewhere that you can actually manage to live in and keep up, for me was a no brainer."