The Stunning Transformation Of Love It Or List It's Hilary Farr

During the late 2000s, a Canadian-made home-renovation show made its debut on HGTV. "Love It Or List It" put a fresh spin on the DIY format, with interior designer Hilary Farr partnered with real estate broker David Visentin. Their relationship was friendly but adversarial as they counseled couples whose homes, for whatever reason, no longer worked for them. Visentin urged the homeowners to sell their place and buy a new one, showing them a few homes on the market that met the criteria that they were looking for. Meanwhile, Farr's job was to convince them to stay put, using her creativity and design savvy to show them how they could renovate and redesign their existing abode so that it would work for them. At the end of each episode, the homeowners were forced to make a choice about their home: would they love it, or list it?   

"Love It or List It" quickly became a massive hit, remaining one of HGTV's most popular shows for a decade-plus. What's more, the franchise was a huge win for Canadian television, as it found success in markets across the globe. 

For Farr, "Love It or List It" has taken her on an epic journey, changing her life and making her a household name. To find out more, keep on reading to explore the stunning transformation of "Love It or List It" star Hilary Farr.

Hilary Farr's journey began in 1952 when she was born in Toronto, Canada's largest city. While her father was Canadian, her mother was British. The family relocated to London when Farr was a child, and she soon enrolled at the prestigious Royal Ballet School. "I grew up wanting to be a ballet dancer," Farr told Canada's "eTalk" in 2016. She was still attending the school when, at the age of 11, she underwent a rapid growth spurt. That led her to segue from ballet to another performing art. "And that led to repertory and theater," she explained, "and so that really is how I started."

Growing up in in London, Farr not only experienced the respective cultures of her parents, but she also got to appreciate their differing religions. "When my British-Church of England mother married my Canadian-Jewish father, the deal was that she would embrace Judaism, but wouldn't give up her Christmas tree," wrote Farr in an essay for HuffPost. "So, I grew up with Christmas every year. I loved it then and I love it now."

As she got older, Hilary Farr's acting ambitions only grew. Initially, she worked primarily in London theater, including landing the role of Marty in the West End production of the musical "Grease," in which she appeared onstage with a young Richard Gere (reprising the role of greaser Danny Zuko that he'd originated on Broadway).

In the early 1970s, she also began appearing onscreen, using the stage name Hilary Labow at the time. Some of her first films included the British comedy "Never Mind the Quality: Feel the Width," "Frustrated Wives," rock-star musical "Stardust," and, in 1975, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" — which Farr briefly portraying a bride emerging from a chapel in the film's opening musical number. "It is an amazing fun fact," she told PopSugar, explaining she had an in because the film's star was a neighbor. "It came about because we lived — as a family — right below Tim Curry," she said of how she wound up in the movie. "I didn't even have a speaking part," she told Baltimore Media Blog. "I was extremely young, and all my friends were a part of that film. They liked my work, and decided to create a part for me out of nothing. It was great fun."

After appearing in various British productions, Hilary Farr eventually headed to the U.S., intending to spark a stateside career as an actor. She found work, landing small roles in the 1979 disaster movie "City on Fire," and, during the early 1980s, a few TV shows, including "The Greatest American Hero," and record-holding daytime soap "Days of Our Lives."

With acting roles fewer and further between that she'd hoped, Farr began utilizing another skill that she brought to film and TV sets: her flair for design and decor. In between auditions, she designed sets for television shows and movies. She also branched out as a decorator, and designed homes for clients. "I didn't know, actually. It happened by chance," she told Baltimore Media Blog when asked if she'd always known she'd be a designer. "I had moved a few times. Everyone loved my house in Los Angeles, so I decided to turn into a business."

In 1982, Hilary got married to producer and writer Gordon Farr, from whom she took the surname she uses now. She also continued to pick acting roles whenever she could; that included a role on Broadway, in the 1989 play "Run for Your Wife." It was not a hit, closing after just 39 performances.

In 2008, Hilary Farr moved to her hometown of Toronto with her son. By then, her marriage to Gordon Farr had ended — badly. At the time, she'd been through the ringer during what she described during a 2013 speech at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre (via Notable Life) as a "horrible, horrible divorce." Remembering her state of mind at the time, she recalled feeling only spite for her ex-husband. 

It was then that she learned of auditions for a new home-renovation TV show — an opportunity that would allow her to blend her dual passions for acting and home design. When she arrived at the audition, she was still in a state of simmering fury over divorce. The experience she'd had as an actor, however, led her to realize she could channel her emotions to her advantage. The audition, of course, was a smash, and she was cast in "Love It or List It" alongside David Visentin, whom she met at the audition. 

It was a gig that would change Farr's life on multiple levels. "['Love It or List It'] was a godsend because it meant I could pay the lawyers and because it was a diversion, which I needed," she told Vulture in 2023. "I had no expectations that it was a show that would go on forever, or become what it did."

"Love It or List It" made its debut in 2008, initially airing on Canada's W Network. The premise was simple: design maven Hilary Farr tries to convince fed-up homeowners who've grown sick of their house to overhaul it and stay put, while real estate expert David Visentin attempts to persuade them to sell their place and move to a new one.

That format proved to be wildly popular with Canadian viewers, and it wasn't long before the show was exported to the U.S., airing on HGTV and becoming a big hit with American viewers. The show's success continued to grow; by 2012, it had become W Network's highest-rated series. That year, the network announced plans for a sequel, "Love It or List It Vancouver," featuring designer and former "Bachelorette" star Jillian Harris; like its predecessor, this show also aired on HGTV in the U.S., albeit under the less-Canadian title "Love It or List It, Too."

Suddenly, Farr found herself a recognizable TV star and a bona fide celebrity, something she's admitted she has never completely been comfortable with. Sharing a brief Instagram video in which an episode of the show is playing on a television within a reception area while she's waiting for an appointment, she wrote, "Always weird to see myself on the telly — hear myself in real time, watch people in the waiting room doing a double take and going... whaaaat!???"

As ratings for "Love It or List" climbed and Hilary Farr's profile kept rising, she was presented with opportunities outside the boundaries of the show. One of these was to serve as a contributor to HuffPost Canada. That included serving as a guide for the website's "quick study" feature in 2011, in which she shared her holiday tips for enjoying a yuletide season that was both stylish and as stress-free as possible. 

She also wrote another holiday-themed piece for HuffPost, "The 12 Trees of Christmas." In that essay, she opened up about her knack for creating unique Christmas ornaments out of, well, junk. "I want to keep as much out of landfills as possible, so I recycle old jewellery, scarves, belts and anything else I find at home that isn't being used," she wrote. Another post featured Farr, via video, offering her top DIY tips, while a different video focused on her interior design advice.

Fans of "Love It or List It" who watched Hilary Farr playfully bicker and banter with co-host David Visentin had no idea that she was experiencing a major health crisis behind the scenes. In 2021, Farr told People about discovering a precancerous lump in her breast during a routine mammogram in 2012. The lump was removed, and she was given a clean bill of health. "I felt so much relief," she said. 

Two years later, things took another serious turn when Farr was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. After undergoing a second lumpectomy, she was assured by her oncologist that the operation was not only successful but that she was all done with her treatment. However, this was not actually the case, and a few months later she learned that she actually still required radiation. "I felt absolute fury that someone could be so flippantly wrong. I could have been dead," Farr recalled, noting that time was as precious as could be. As she told SurvivorNet, she began her radiation just shy of the "wrong side of the time frame."

Seven months after she'd completed radiation treatments, another lump was found, resulting in a third lumpectomy in 2015. Since then, she's been cancer-free. In the aforementioned People interview, she noted how important it is to be proactive. "Thinking that you should keep it a secret or just power through doesn't help and it doesn't heal," she said. "If I can change that for one person, then that's enough."

As "Love It or List It" continued its dominance on home-renovation television, Hilary Farr decided to dip her toe back into the career she'd once aspired to by appearing in a Toronto theatrical production. Cast in the role of villainous antagonist Malignicent, Farr starred in a 2016 pantomime production of "Sleeping Beauty." While discussing the show with the Toronto Star, Farr described her character as "truly evil from start to finish."

In a promotional video for the panto, Farr listed what she was looking forward to when she finally took to the stage. "First of all, I'm looking forward to remembering my lines," she quipped, and also expected that all the dance rehearsal she was doing would result in some slimming down. "I'm fully expecting to lose at least five pounds," she added. Meanwhile, Farr admitted she'd also had to adjust her personality to suit the stage. "Now, when I started doing 'Love It or List It,' everybody would tell me, 'Could you just bring it down a little bit? This is television,'" she explained on an episode of "Your Morning." "Now it's like, 'Bigger! Bigger! You gotta go bigger!'"

Of course, it didn't hurt that the wicked fairy she played onstage wasn't that far removed from her actual self. Like Farr, Malignicent also has a flair for design — albeit one tinged with megalomania, evident in her nefarious desire to redesign the entire kingdom of Torontonia.

In 2022, HGTV decided to horn in on Hallmark Channel's territory by producing its own made-for-TV Christmas movies, casting HGTV personalities in prominent roles. The resultant holiday flicks were "Christmas Open House," which featured spouses Erin and Ben Napier of HGTV mega-hit "Home Town," and "Designing Christmas," in which Hilary Farr portrayed Freddy, the mentor of Stella, an interior designer ("Gossip Girl" alum Jessica Szohr) who co-stars with hunky contractor Pablo (Marco Grazzini) in a popular home-renovation TV show. While working together intensively on a Christmas episode of their show, "Home Sweet Home," Stella realizes her feelings for Pablo — nicknamed "the Sledgehammer" by fans — have turned romantic, complicating her life and their working relationship, leading her to seek Freddy's sage advice.

"Hilary's amazing. She has such great charisma — and a really great actor," the film's director, Pat Mills, gushed in a behind-the-scenes video from the set. "She's so charming. She's so great in the role, and we did a lot of improvisation ..."

As Farr told PopCulture.com, she was initially reluctant when first presented with the "unexpected" opportunity to do some onscreen acting. "I did hesitate when I was first asked," she said, jokingly adding, "First of all, I haven't had to learn lines in 1,000 years."

In February 2021, HGTV announced that Hilary Farr would be spreading her wings with a new solo project, beyond "Love It or List It." The show, titled "Tough Love," made its debut that fall. The premise involved Farr assisting families whose relationships were becoming strained due to the state of their homes, crafting clever design solutions — along with some of her titular tough love — to set things right. 

"As a mother, business owner and life partner, I've been through my fair share of struggles and challenges," said Farr in a statement to Deadline. "I know that when life gets messy, having a home that is both beautiful and functional goes a long way toward alleviating stress. Developing creative solutions for living space challenges and using design to improve how families live together are my passions and they are the reasons I love being an interior designer."

The freshman season of the show proved successful enough that a second was ordered, making its debut in September 2023. As of January 2025, plans for a third season remained up in the air.

In December 2023, People dropped a major bombshell: Hilary Farr was leaving "Love It or List It" after 19 seasons. "I've given it so many years of my life," she said of the show that had been her bread and butter for a decade-and-a-half. "It's got me through hard times," she told the outlet. "It's got the audiences through hard times. It has evolved into a mainstay of people's lives and it's been incredibly gratifying. But now it's time for me to move on and meet new challenges."

Clearly, Farr's departure from the show left its longterm future in limbo. As she explained, co-star David Visentin initially didn't believe her when she told him she was leaving the show. He addressed her decision in a statement he issued to Variety. "Working with Hilary has been a wild, unforgettable ride," he said of working with Farr for all those years. "I'd like to forget the mountain of 'love its' but hey, she's a talented lady. Although we were rivals on the show, we became quick friends and share countless memories both on and off set. I look forward to continuing that friendship and wish her all the best in everything she does."

In her announcement about the 19th season of "Love It or List It" being her last, Hilary Farr hinted that she wasn't planning on riding off into the sunset just yet. As she told People she had a number of other plans in the works, including building a "tiny house" on a plot of land in Italy. "That will be an adventure," she declared. 

While that interview was full of praise for the show and all it had given her, a subsequent interview with Vulture allowed her to reveal the real reason behind her exit. "It felt very stale," she said. "It's a very formulaic show." She also confirmed she was nowhere near retirement. "I don't think it's a retirement at all," she explained. "It's simply an exodus from 'Love It or List It,' which is a beast of a show to film ... I still want to do 'Tough Love,' though, and I have all sorts of irons in the fire on other projects. I just need to do them on my terms."

As for what those irons might be, as of January 2025 she has yet to announce anything official — although a July 2024 Instagram post indicated that she'd been traveling between Toronto and Raleigh, North Carolina. Whether that has to do with her next project, however, remained to be seen. In any case, it's a safe bet that when Farr does return to the media landscape, the fans she made from "Love It or List It" will be there for it.