‘Something Truly Special’ – Charlie Guest On Building His Dream Home With The Love Of His Life
The Englishman shares his journey as homeowner ahead of ONE Fight Night 48.
By Chris Mohan
Sep 23, 2026, 05:10 UTC
For Charlie Guest, home was never something he could take for granted. It took years, a lot of paint, and a whole lot of love to finally build one worth calling his own.
The ISKA Muay Thai World Champion faces Luke “The Chef” Lessei in a featherweight Muay Thai clash, serving as the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 48: Erdogan vs. Elliott on Prime Video, streaming live in U.S. primetime on Friday, October 2, from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Guest and his wife, Mem, took the leap into homeownership just before COVID-19 hit, settling on a house in Andover, Hampshire, that fit their budget but came with a long road ahead of it.
It was an older property that needed plenty of work before it could feel like a proper home, and the two have spent the years since gradually breathing new life into it, one room, one weekend project, one small victory at a time.
Rather than quietly work away at it behind closed doors, the couple decided to document nearly every step of the journey on Instagram, from fresh coats of paint to hand-built furniture, running the account since November 2023.
He said:
“We just decided to document it because it’s our very first home. It’s a big deal for us. It’s something truly special, you know. We always had a goal, and we decided to buy it and do it up from there, really.
“There was a lot of work to be done, obviously, but we’ve sorted most of it out. Our goal was to turn a house into a beautiful home.”
For Guest, the word “home” carries weight that goes far beyond paint colors and furniture choices.
Raised by his grandparents from a young age, the 30-year-old understands better than most just how much a stable, loving space can shape a person’s entire life, and how much it means to be the one building that stability for someone else.
Five years on, Guest, his wife, and their dog – a German Shepherd named Roscoe – have settled into the cozy two-bedroom house.
It comes complete with a spacious front garden and an equally generous stretch of green out back, more than enough room for the two lovebirds and for their furry friend, who has claimed every inch of it as his own.
There is space to grow into, though getting there has been anything but instant. Slow, sometimes frustrating, but always worth it, according to Guest, who would not trade the journey for anything.
The Impact MMA and Tiger Muay Thai star said:
“We’ve been living here for quite a bit at the moment. But we are still just gradually doing it up. It’s still livable, but most rooms are okay.”
Home renovations come with plenty of milestones, but Guest already knows which one matters most, and it has nothing to do with paint or flooring.
For a man who spent his own childhood without the stability of a traditional family unit, the idea of building one of his own carries a weight that goes far beyond bricks and mortar.
The Brit said:
“Hopefully, in the future to come, a baby would really complete this home. Essentially, that is what a home is all about. We want to eventually have a family of our own with a few kids, have a great life, learn parenthood, and make their life great.”
The Real Foundation Guest And His Wife Built
Turning that first house into a proper home was never going to be a quick job.
Somewhere along the way, though, the project became less about finishing a to-do list and more about the love of his life standing right beside him through every bit of it.
Guest said:
“Working on this project together, for sure, it’s brought us closer. It’s a hard feeling to explain, but, for sure, we’ve become closer as we’ve done loads of new activities together.
“From shopping for DIY furniture to building something together. It’s been fun and rewarding. Making a house a home is doing it all together.”
That shared effort is exactly what makes this house theirs – renovations and all. Even with a few ongoing projects, it already carries the feeling of somewhere Guest genuinely looks forward to coming home to, especially on the days away from training.
And like most homes worth their name, there is always one spot that stands head and shoulders above the rest, the corner everyone naturally gravitates toward when it is finally time to switch off.
The Andover native said:
“My favorite spot has to be the hall. It has got my belt collection there, the TV, and we’ve got a nice long sofa where we all cuddle up – me, my wife, and my dog. It’s probably the most relaxing space in our home.
“My lazy day is typically spent there. We have a nice breakfast in the morning, chill out, and watch some movies or some series. It’s just mainly Netflix and chill, resting before the next day starts.”
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