They continued to pack-on the PDAs Down Under last week – soaking up the sun on Sydney’s Bondi beach while Michelle Keegan enjoyed a break from filming her second series of Ten Pound Poms, alongside her husband, Mark Wright.
But trolls were quick to rain on their parade – labelling the former TOWIE star, 37, “Mark No Job Wright” and accusing him of “keeping his meal ticket sweet”, after his actress wife, 36, has been tipped to land Hollywood fame amid the huge success of her recent Netflix drama, Fool Me Once.
Another cruelly jibed, “Love the fact all he’s carrying is his shoes. She carries everything else”, while another said, “He’s a nobody now. Five minute wonder!”
And insiders say while the couple try to rise above the negative backlash, the recent influx of comments have left Mark feeling insecure – with Michelle doing her best to reassure him.
A source says, “Mark has been doing his best to put on a brave face and ignore the comments, but it’s easier said than done – especially when he’s already feeling conscious of the fact that he’s not where he thought he’d be at this point in his career.
“He’s immensely proud and supportive of Michelle, but it does hurt when the haters come out in full force and belittle him.
“Michelle is conscious of Mark feeling in any way inferior to her or demasculinised, and seeing how affected he was by the cruel jibes sparked a deep heart-to-heart and, in a way, made them stronger.”
The couple – who tied the knot in 2015 – met on the showbiz circuit, after both rising to fame as TV stars. Mark first entered the spotlight on reality show TOWIE in 2010 – famed for his explosive relationship with Lauren Goodger – while Michelle worked as an actress on Coronation Street from 2008 to 2014.
Michelle’s career has since gone from strength to strength, with her landing roles in TV hits such as Our Girl and Brassic. And following the huge success and praise for her acting on Fool Me Once this year, she’s reportedly been “inundated” with offers from Hollywood movie execs and has even been tipped to
be the next Bond girl.
Meanwhile, Mark has done other reality TV shows over the years, as well as presenting gigs and launching fashion brands – and his current focus is his weekend radio show and his fitness business, Live Wright.
But he has faced a series of setbacks in his TV career. His American presenting career on celeb TV show Extra came to an end in 2020, with Mark returning home and later saying he was too homesick.
And in 2022, Mark was said to have tainted his role with ITV after pulling out of hosting sports reality show, The Games, via text just one day after filming, claiming he was “too busy”.
After landing the coveted role to host Channel 5 show, The Challenge UK, last year – a reality show spin-off of the iconic American version – it was axed after one series due to lacklustre ratings.
Earlier this year, it was also announced that his BBC show, A Wright Family Holiday – featuring his brother, Josh, and dad, Big Mark – wouldn’t be returning for the same reason.
And the source says the couple’s differing career trajectories have been a tense topic for them, saying, “Mark has tried to brush off the comments but they still hurt. Michelle has reassured Mark that these people are just bitter and don’t know the ins and outs of their relationship or what’s going on behind the scenes.
“While Mark and her marriage will obviously always be Michelle’s number one priority, her career is also extremely important to her and she’s keen to ride the wave of success that’s come after Fool Me Once. She’d love to conquer Hollywood at some point, and would love it if there were an opportunity there for Mark too.
“Being in Australia has given them time to really talk about their future, and they’ve both made a vow that as long as they continue to put each other first, nothing else matters.”
While Mark and Michelle have kept their TV careers separate, the gym-honed couple did launch a joint venture together earlier this year – a new range of active wear called Aytee7.
And the source adds that this has been something the pair have been discussing potentially doing more of in the future, as a way to boost both of their careers.
“Mark really enjoys focusing on his training business and thinks this could be the best path for him. Their new sportswear range has done well, so he’s keen to continue building that brand and finding success as an entrepreneur.
“They have other ideas in the pipeline too and love the idea of doing more ventures together, so Mark is keen to take the reins on the business side of things while Michelle continues crushing it with her acting career for now. They’ve both just reassured each other that whatever happens in their work worlds, they’ll continue to communicate and prioritise each other throughout it all.”