Hilary Farr


Hilary Elizabeth Farr is a British-Canadian designer, businesswoman, television host and former actress. She is known as the former co-host of the HGTV reality television series Love It or List It with David Visentin.
Born in Toronto and raised in London, Farr began her career in Los Angeles working as a home renovator as well as designing film and television sets. During this time, she occasionally worked as an actress, appearing in minor roles in such films as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, City on Fire, and The Return.
Farr also serves as a contributor to the Huffington Post.

Early life

Farr was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 31, 1951 to a British mother and a Canadian father. Her mother was an Anglican and a member of the Church of England, and her father was Jewish. Farr was raised celebrating both Jewish and Christian religious traditions.
Farr was raised in London, where she attended the Royal Ballet School until age 11, and aspired to have a career as a ballerina. She took an interest in theatre and was introduced to interior design by helping her mother to decorate her childhood home.

Career

Acting

Farr began her career in Los Angeles, where she began purchasing and renovating homes, as well working as a film and television set designer. Acting under the name Hilary Labow, Farr made small appearances in Layout for 5 Models, Sex Farm, Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width, Legend of the Werewolf, City on Fire and The Return. Her most notable film role would be from the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show where she played Betty Munroe, a bride who tosses her bouquet into a crowd, which Janet Weiss catches. Farr recounted that she used to live in the same building with one of the film's lead Tim Curry who plays Dr. Frank-N-Furter, prior to landing that role. In the early 1980s, she had small parts in various television sitcoms while working as a personal assistant for Ted Danson and Arthur Cohn.
In Broadway and Theatre, Farr played the role of Betty Rizzo and the singing role of Marty in the stage performance of Grease in London with actor Richard Gere who played Danny Zucko. In 2016, Farr appeared in Ross Petty's stage version of Sleeping Beauty at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, in the role of Malignicent.

''Love It or List It''

Farr auditioned and was the first to be signed into the role of co-host and designer of Love It or List It with Big Coat Productions. The show was first broadcast on the W Network in Canada in September, 2008. The series became a top performer along with the network's other realty home and design originals and was later picked up by HGTV in 2011.
Farr left Love It or List It in 2023.
In 2017, Farr co-founded Rules of Renovation, a real estate investment seminar series held at locations across North America for aspiring investors.

Personal life

Farr married Canadian TV producer Gordon Farr in 1982. She gave birth to their son in 1983. The couple divorced in 2008.
Farr has noted she has a passion for animal rescue, and in 2017 volunteered in Nairobi with an organization protecting orphaned elephants.
In December 2021, Farr said she had been diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer in 2014. She had previously been diagnosed with a precancerous tumour in 2012, which she had surgically removed. A subsequent mammogram revealed Farr had developed malignant breast cancer. She underwent radiation therapy and further surgical intervention, and remains in remission as of 2022.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1976Well AnywayMariaSeason 1 Episode 2: On the Other Hand
1976Within These WallsTrixie HallSeason 4 Episode 17: Silent Night
1979A Man Called IntrepidIngrid3 episode
1982The Greatest American HeroErika Van DammeSeason 2 Episode 11: The Hand Painted Thai
1984We Got It MadeSeason 1 Episode 21: A Paige in David's Life
1987Days of Our LivesFelicity York2 episode
2008–2023Love It or List ItCo-hostActress/Designer
2015This Hour Has 22 MinutesHerself1 episode
2021–presentTough Love with Hilary FarrHostHost and Principal Designer

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012The Marilyn Denis ShowHerself
2012Steven and ChrisHerself
2012-eTalkHerself
2012-HuffPost LiveHerself
2013The HourHerself
2013-2016Brother Vs. BrotherHerself - Guest JudgeReality TV series produced by the Property Brothers, was also featured on the highlights episode.
2013Makeover ManorHerselfA YouTube comedy sketch produced by Scott Brothers Entertainment.
2015HGTV InsiderHerself - HGTV HostTV documentary
2015-The Today ShowHerself
2016Your MorningHerself
2017HarryHerself
2018Megyn Kelly TodayHerself
2020Couched with Carson KressleyHerself
2020The [Kelly Clarkson Show]Herself
2022The Morning ShowHerself
2022Celebrity PageHerself
2023Entertainment TonightHerself