BBC DIY SOS: Corby family abused over delayed episode

The Hutchison family (front) were let down by builders when renovating their home for their son Jordon (front second right) who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy

A family whose home was transformed by DIY SOS almost three years ago said they had received abuse because their project was yet to air.

The team from the BBC One programme rebuilt Jackie and Colin Hutchison's home in Corby, Northamptonshire, in October 2019.

But the pandemic meant the rest of the series was only completed this year.

Mrs Hutchison said: "Thankfully there's more positive people out there than negative."

She said she was "feeling a lot of emotions" but was "anxious" ahead of the broadcast on BBC One later.

The family said they had had to come off social media and change their phone numbers due to the abuse they had received.

Mrs Hutchison said: "We were the lucky ones to get it just before Covid hit, but unfortunately that meant we've had to wait nearly two and half years for it to be aired which has most probably caused all of these problems that have come our way."

She told BBC Radio Northampton there had been "a lot of things" said about the family.

"There was a rumour going round we sold our house and moved to Dubai," she said.

"I'm just thankful that it is going on air and people can see that we are very much still loving every second of our life in our home and we will never, ever be selling our house."

Builder Jules Perryman, plaster Chris Frediani and presenter Nick Knowles visited Corby in October 2019, but the project is part of the current series

The family had used a £60,000 loan to modify the home for their son Jordan, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and is now 18 years old.

A series of building issues meant the family ran out of money with no way of finishing the work, which stopped in late 2018.

Mrs Hutchison said "we had no bedroom, no downstairs facilities for Jordan".

"It was difficult, life was really hard and we couldn't really see the end of it," she said.

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She said DIY SOS had transformed their house and "still every day we pinch ourselves; we can't believe we wake up in a home like this; we are thankful and grateful to everybody".

Mr Hutchison said the biggest change was for Jordon: "He's completely independent now, in terms of washing himself and going to the toilet himself - it's given him his independence and dignity."

DIY SOS: The Big Build - Corby will be on BBC One at 20:00 BST and available live and on the BBC iPlayer afterwards.