As the first of the late entries to the I’m A Celebrity rocked up to the jungle, one of the show’s worst-kept secrets this year was finally confirmed: Vogue Williams has officially entered the competition.
But what of Spenny, her husband Spencer Matthews? The newspapers seem determined to announce him as having separated from his wife, even though he actually hasn’t.
It is true, however, that the ex-Made In Chelsea star will not be there to meet Vogue at the iconic bridge when she finishes in the show next month.
To be fair, he’s got a pretty good excuse: as he’s currently embarking on his mission to complete seven triathlons; one in every continent of the world (except the Arctic), and in just 21 days, which just feels like showing off. He’s just completed the third triathlon in Cape Town, if you’re following along from home.
UKTV
However, Spencer – who married Vogue in 2018 after meeting on another reality TV show – gushed today about his wife on an Instagram post: “Vogue isn’t just fearless and gorgeous on TV – she’s like that in life. What you see is what you get…She is loved by all and for good reason. She’s my best friend, a phenomenal wife and a perfect mother. I’m very proud of her for taking on I’m A Celeb. She’ll be stepping outside her comfort zone, and that takes courage and if anyone can light up that jungle, it’s her.”
He’ll be hoping Vogue does better in the jungle than he did – he previously was asked to leave I’m A Celeb in 2015 after just a few days when producers discovered he was taking steroids. He added in his sweet message to Vogue: “To my amazing wife – good luck, my love. Be brilliant, as you always are. The kids and I are behind you every step of the way.”
But how exactly did the couple meet, and what’s the timeline on their relationship like?
2017: The TV meet-cute
Max Mumby/Indigo//Getty Images
Vogue and Spencer first met back in 2017, when they both appeared on The Jump. However, the accident-prone TV show led to Vogue having to withdraw with an injury – but ol’ smooth-talker Spencer was there to comfort her when the show ended. And he was quite persistent, by the sounds of things.
In an interview with Evoke, Vogue revealed: “He kept ringing me after we’d done The Jump together and I was like, ‘This guy is so strange’ – he hadn’t grown on me yet! He’d call me and say he was out and about in Chelsea and I’d be like, ‘I live in East London, there’s no way I’m travelling 45 minutes to hang out with you’. We were just really good pals for ages.”
2018: A big year
ALEX MUMFORD
Nobody could accuse Spencer and Vogue of dallying around: in the space of one year, they got engaged (February – Spenny popped the question, bizarrely, at The Lion King West End musical), married (June, Scotland, in the Matthews estate), and had their first child (September, a boy, Theodore).
At the time, Spencer said: “I’ve known Vogue was the one for a long time. We’re very happy and in love. She’s my best friend and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.”
2019: A sobering realisation
Samir Hussein//Getty Images
It’s around this time that famous party boi Spencer knocked the drinking on the head. When asked what his motivation for this was by Heat, he replied simply “Vogue”, adding: “When we first started dating, I was a bad alcoholic. I would drink really early in the day, most days, and often to excess… When I met Vogue and we started our relationship, and when she got pregnant, it was a bit of a wake-up call for me.
“I didn’t want to be that kind of father, I wanted to be present for my kids. So, I went sober. I completely knocked it on the head one day and I did just under four years of total abstinence.”
Speaking with The Sun, Vogue explained the point that his drinking had pushed the couple to: “My dad was a big drinker and [growing up] I had alcohol around me a lot, so I was like: ‘I’m not going to be around this forever, so if you want to keep doing it [drinking], go ahead and I’ll just go do my own thing.’
“It’s nice that he’s got to a point where he’s able to have the odd drink now. It’s very controlled, except he’s not really trying to control it – it’s just that his life is full. He has loads of work on. He doesn’t even have the time [for drinking].”
2020 – 2022: More kids, and a new ‘baby’
Channel 4
In July 2020, the couple welcomed a little girl to their family, named Gigi, and two years later saw the arrival of their third child, a boy called Otto. That’s enough work to keep everyone busy, but in August 2020, they also launched their own couple’s podcast, Spencer and Vogue.
Vogue told The Irish News: “Spenny was kind of against it at the start. He’s so moody on the first-ever episode so I like to slag him about that repeatedly, but I think it was because he didn’t really understand the concept of a pod. Thankfully he loves it now though, he’s like a proper podcaster.”
2024: A year of ultra marathons
Nigel Wright/REX/Shutterstock
Spencer began his journey to push himself to extremes, and ran 30 marathons in 30 days in the Jordanian desert to raise money for charity. While obviously extremely proud of him, Vogue told The Sun: “Stay-at-home mums, I absolutely salute you, because no one realises how difficult it is to do it all on your own,” and added that their plans to have a fourth child were still up in the air: “Perhaps I’m thinking: ‘Maybe not,’ because Spenny’s been away for so long and I’ve been on my own.”
2025: Rebutting split rumours again
Shane Anthony Sinclair//Getty Images
January saw the shock announcement that Spencer was leaving the couple’s podcast, Spencer And Vogue as Vogue said that “he didn’t enjoy it anymore”.
Appearing on The Net Mums podcast later in the year, Vogue detailed some rocky times in their household: “We don’t have loads of time together, but we try to do a couple of weekends a year where it is just you and I. And then we did one together, ended up having a fight and not talking for the full day. I was like, ‘No, this isn’t how it is suppose to go!'”
However, Vogue took to Instagram shortly after to deny any break-up plans: “It’s with great sadness that I have to let you know that Spen and I are NOT breaking up! I usually avoid addressing baseless and cruel rumours,” she added, “but this just keeps coming up. It’s disappointing to see this narrative being pushed almost daily when it’s absolutely not true, and much more importantly, I don’t want my children hearing these lies in the playground. The whole thing feels very strange and mean.”
Later in the year, after Vogue dared to go on a girls weekend without Spencer, certain parts of the internet started speculating about their marriage once again.
On her podcast, My Therapist Ghosted Me, she hit back: “I’m like, can we not spend, like, any time apart? Do we have to be sewn together now to show that we’re a united front?”
She is of course correct, but should she end up the Queen of the Jungle and Spencer breaks even more records, it’s a shame they’ll be celebrating their wins so separately.
I’m a Celebrity airs on ITV1 and ITVX nightly from 9pm
Read more I’m a Celebrity news on our dedicated homepage
The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Ariana & Witches in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
