DIY SOS returns for a Children in Need special, and it’s a particularly emotional one for Billy Byrne when he’s reminded of his late daughter.
The electrician has been with the show since 2010. He becomes tearful when the team take on a project very close to his heart. In the charity special, presenter Nick Knowles and a team of trade professionals tackle one of their most ambitious builds yet.
They build a bespoke construction for Treetops. The charity delivers support and counselling for children and young people who have experienced a traumatic bereavement. Talking about the challenge, DIY: SOS sparky Billy becomes overwhelmed with emotion as he discusses the benefits of such an establishment.
DIY SOS: The Big Build Children in Need special on BBC One
Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team return for another Children in Need special for BBC One. They are joined by BBC Radio 2 presenters and other celebrities for the second year in a special collaboration build.
The team build a bespoke building for Treetops in Risley, Derbyshire. It aims to provide support and counselling for children and young people who have experienced or are experiencing traumatic bereavement.
As usual, the usual faces are joined by tradespeople and volunteers from across the UK, as well as plenty of celebs including Strictly star Richie Anderson, Zoe Ball, Sam Ryder, and Scott Mills.
The one-off episode includes incredibly moving stories from children and families who have benefited from the crucial support of Treetops, during some of the most difficult times of their lives.
DIY SOS has just 10 days – 240 hours of work! – to complete the new building. The structure is a bereavement counselling centre with the sole intention of providing a safe space for kids going through the most difficult times of their lives.
One such child is Emily, whose world fell apart when her mum Judith died of cancer after being told she had “just days to live”.
Billy Byrne becomes emotional over late daughter
The Treetops bereavement centre is a project is close to Billy Byrne‘s heart. He knows only too well how truly impactful this build will be. Talking to host Nick Knowles about the project, he becomes tearful.
He shares: “The reason I get emotional [is because] we lost our daughter Emma. She had three sisters. If they’d had something like this, they could have shared their grief with people like them. They couldn’t let it out. They needed someone to talk to who knew what they’d been through.”
After hugging it out with Nick, he later added: “It took me 20 years to get some counselling.”
What happened to Billy Byrne’s daughter Emma?
Billy Byrne is an electrician from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. Although he is jokingly referred to as the ‘Prince of Darkness’ and clowns about on the show, he has a deep sadness beneath his smile. Tragically, Billy Byrne lost his daughter to cancer.
Emma was just 20 years old when she died from cancer. Speaking about his loss during a previous episode of DIY SOS in 2020, Billy said: “You’ve got to accept that she was part of our lives for 20 years. Let’s talk about the 20 years that she was great and happy. We can stop shedding tears – but it’s hard.”
After Emma died, Billy and his second daughter, Natalie, started fundraising for the Keech Cottage Hospice, their local hospice in Bedfordshire.
Read more: DIY SOS and Strictly special leaves viewers in tears
DIY SOS airs on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 9pm on BBC One.
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