A couple who found their dream home on A New Life In The Sun have been devastated after a horror storm left their paddleboarding business in ruins.
Mark and Natalia first found their new home in Spain back in 2019, and returned to our screens on Sunday night for a 'where are they now?' special.
The pair revealed they were initially living on cloud nine in their sun-kissed home and with their new paddleboarding business.
Meeting in Spain, the duo looked for a home there to start a new life and embrace their mutual love of watersports.
Their business boomed in their first summer with hundreds of tourists using their facilities - so well in fact, they were even able to open up a second branch.
However, a massive storm in September 2019 hit the couple hard, and they joined hundreds of businesses badly affected in the aftermath.
Sharing what happened with a video, Mark said: "It’s absolute mayhem. Look at it. This used to be a boardwalk and that’s disappeared now. It’s been pushed out to sea.
“As you can see the carnage that has been caused. This wall which had been done at the start of the year has been destroyed now.”
The couple spent £8,500 (approx. €10,000) opening the second business, attracting holidaymakers to rent out their equipment and hit the sunkissed waters.
While it was a risk to open the new branch so quickly, and with only three months to make the most of the tourism market, the couple seemed sure they could do it.
Unfortunately, the bad weather proved to be their downfall.
With the coast being flooded and the water unsafe to enter, the company began to flail, and when the pandemic hit them too in 2020, it was decided that the second business needed to close up shop for good.
"This year because of the circumstances because of lockdown and the unknown situation in the future, we decided not to risk too much,” Natalia said.
“Just in case because we may not be able to survive, basically.”
With the business falling flat without the tourism of the area to keep them afloat, the couple - who have since had a child - had to think on their feet for new ideas.
They ended up opening a cafe instead to tide them over during these uncertain times, which thankfully, seems to have taken off and kept them above board.
A New Life in the Sun: Where Are They Now? is available on Channel 4 On Demand.
