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Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud has disclosed a hidden health struggle that could substantially alter the manner in which he presents Channel 4's beloved programme. The 66-year-old revealed he has been diagnosed with arthritis in both hands, rendering it progressively harder to handle the tools of his profession. "I've got arthritis in both wrists and the thumbs and a couple of joints, so my grip is not good," Kevin told the Mirror. "So I have to be really careful using power tools - that's for sure - and axes, in a way that I didn't used to have to worry about."

He added: "There are bits of me that are really hurting now that didn't, and there are things I can't do that I could do five years ago. I am getting old." Yet, despite the debilitating condition that impacts his ability to handle building equipment, Kevin maintains he's not prepared to abandon the programme that has transformed him into a household name.

"I'm not going to grumble because this is just wear and tear," he said. "Ideally, I'd like to be 97 and keel over while I'm chopping some firewood. No blood on the axe - just keel over."

The star, who has helmed the series since it first broadcast in 1999, confessed he couldn't envisage presenting it in another 25 years or thereabouts. "Can you imagine me doing it at 92?" He told the Mirror.

Asked if he could only see himself at the helm, he replied: "Obviously! We never know what's around the corner but I'm fit and I'm able and I love doing it. Long may that last."

The much-loved presenter, who designed Harrods' famous vegetable-inspired food hall ceiling, confessed that the punishing filming schedule has taken a significant toll on his personal life.

"I don't see enough of my family, my grandchildren. I don't see enough of my friends," he admitted. Kevin, who has four children - Hugo and Grace from previous relationships, and Milo and Elsie with ex-wife Suzanna McCloud - disclosed that he hasn't enjoyed a summer holiday in over 30 years.

"It would be in the 1990s, I think, that I last had a holiday in August, because we transmit our series at the beginning of September," he explained. "So we are working hell for leather, like nut cases, through July and August."

He went on to say: "Grand Designs is all year round, almost every week. I film for three days at a time. It's quite a commitment." Yet the presenter, who was awarded an MBE in 2014 for services to sustainable design, wouldn't change a thing.

"If I stopped doing Grand Designs, I would miss that privilege," he said. "I would miss those weekly experiences, learning every day, discovering technique, meeting a craftsperson, listening to somebody on whatever journey they're on."