Mrs Hinch moves home after swearing she'd never leave - but why?

Unveiling her home extension in 2020, influencer Sophie Hinchliffe — or Mrs Hinch, as she is known to her millions of online fans — could barely contain her excitement.

Upstairs, there was a lavish en-suite bedroom for her and her husband, while below was ample space for open-plan living. 

All decorated and furnished, of course, in the grey tones that have become the 31-year-old's trademark Insta look.

But what moved the cleaning and interiors guru to proud tears was a small decorative detail — the letter 'H' — built into the outside eave of the new brick add-on.

'It may have been "easier" to move!' she wrote then in a post on Instagram, where she has amassed 4.2 million followers. 

'But this is our home that we worked so hard for. So this meant so much to me that I cried. H is for Hinch Home. We're not moving anywhere.'

So, barely two years later, it has come as something of a shock to discover that Mrs Hinch and her family are, in fact, packing their bags. 

On New Year's Day, she announced the family is swapping Hinch Home for an altogether more lavish property in the country. 

Located nearby in the Essex countryside, the detached five-bedroom house that she has dubbed Hinch Farm boasts a grand wooden staircase, stables and extensive grounds laid out over 1.7 acres.

The family is still in the process of moving in, but there are plans for a menagerie of animals: chickens, pigs and even alpacas.

Quite an upgrade — particularly given that when Mrs Hinch and husband Jamie purchased their first house for £307,500 in 2016, they did so with a mortgage and assistance from the government's Help To Buy scheme.

But almost exactly five years later, the Mail can reveal they have been able to purchase the new £1.55 million property for cash.

While her followers were quick to congratulate her on the upgrade, some questioned why, given her previous pronouncements, she was leaving her original house. 

'Why did you decide to move?' one asked during an Instagram question-and-answer session. 'I never thought you'd leave the Hinch Home.' 

According to Mrs Hinch's reply, the endless photos that she posted of her 'happy' home and family belie a very different story.

'A lot goes on behind closed doors,' she wrote. 'I won't go into too much detail because I wouldn't want to give any satisfaction to the cruel person/people involved.

'But Jamie had wanted to move for a while, due to a privacy issue which came about after we had extended the house. 

'But I was in such a mess because I didn't want to move. I was crying to him, saying this is my home, I didn't want to lose it . . . I was in a really really low place.'

She added: 'If only some people know how much their selfish actions effect (sic) others. But they will not win! I will always love this house, but I will make Hinch Farm our forever home, where the boys will be so safe, and we will feel comfortable again.'

Strong words — and ones that have mystified residents living near her original Hinch Home. 'It's a friendly little area here and I was surprised when I saw that she felt like she'd been picked on,' said one.

Another added: 'They're lovely people and I feel upset that she's felt the need to move out.' 

While a third insisted: 'She's not been forced out. She's made a lot of money and moved into a bigger house.'

As for invasions of privacy, it can be revealed that during the planning process for the extension, concerns were raised — by a homeowner who feared the new building would be 'intrusive' and overlook his house and garden.

Given her success, it's easy to forget it was only in March 2018 that the former hairdresser set up her Instagram account.

And, from the start, Hinch Home and all that happened in it was very much at the heart of it.

'I've always enjoyed home interior design but as soon as my husband and I bought our first house together I was super-excited to make it a home,' she wrote.

'I really wanted to post decor photos on Instagram but didn't want to bore my friends and family, so I started @mrshinchhome!

'I never imagined for a second that my account would become so popular! It's absolutely crazy and I'm so overwhelmed but so grateful all at the same time!'

As well as providing interiors inspiration, it was Mrs Hinch's enthusiastic approach to keeping a clean and tidy house that won a legion of fans.

From shining sinks to 'pining' her

read more from dailymail.....