Burgess Hill couple who quit Sussex for sunny Crete in television show

Husband and wife Stephanie and Matt Trott, who left their Sussex lives behind 18 months ago to live in Crete, are telling their story on the series ‘My New Greek Life’.

The four part series, which follows a number of people who have chosen to restart their lives in Greece, has been airing throughout February.

Stephanie said: “We were searching for a better quality of life, as we’d been priced out of the Sussex area and couldn’t live the lifestyle we wanted.

“We started to ask ourselves if there was more to life than living for the weekend and paying off the mortgage. Why are we expected to trade 30 years of our lives for a roof over our heads?”

The couple began considering alternatives to the ‘normal’ way of life, and decided to move to a new country, enjoy a new culture, learn a new language, and renovate a tiny Greek ruin.

Stephanie said: “I feel like we were always destined to be in Greece - I have nostalgic family memories of holidays, and I remember a local once telling me that you could buy a ruin for a few thousand Euros.

“I started saving and learning Greek. Then at 19 I met my husband - who had just returned back from Crete! It was a spark of coincidence.”

The Trotts decided to take part in ‘My New Greek Life’ to inspire other people to live their dreams.

Stephanie said: “Anyone can achieve it. If anyone has got a desire to leave the rat race behind, they can do it. We want to spread positivity and show people that they can do it too.”

Working with the film crew on ‘My New Greek Life’ was a ‘fantastic experience’ for the couple.

Stephanie said: “They were the nicest people ever. They never asked us to do anything we wouldn’t usually do.

“We’re really pleased with how we come across in the show.”

Find out more about ‘My New Greek Life’, and learn more about Stephanie and Matt’s story, by visiting channel5.com/show/my-new-greek-life.

The next episode will be aired Tuesday, February 25, at 10pm, and the last episode will be aired Tuesday, March 3, at 10pm.

Stephanie runs a blog about the couple’s move to Crete and life in Greece, as well as becoming more environmentally friendly, creating things rather than buying them, owning less and gaining freedom, and becoming more self sufficient. It can be read here: sidestepping-normal.com.