Channel 4 TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp has described her empathy for co-host phil Spencer who recently had to lay off staff in his property business.

Speaking to The Sun Allsopp said: “I felt very sorry for him. He is a very decent person. We are such good friends. It’s rare to find someone who you get on with and with whom you have that kind of relationship,” she said.

“With a lot of people, there is a TV image and then there’s the real thing. But with Phil, you get what you see.”

Spencer founded Garrington Home Finders with his wife in 1996 It was reportedly placed into administration in February.

Allsopp added: “He paid the salaries of his staff himself for the last six months and he put everything into it. But everyone has stopped buying houses and Phil was paid to help buy houses. He was really good about it all.”

She continued: “A lot of people would have behaved differently. But he said, ‘Let’s not run up a whole lot of debts, let’s not pretend the situation is not happening or blame anybody else’.”