Their sisterly, heartwarming bond has earned them an army of fans over the last decade, starring on-screen in TOWIE and then later in their series, The Mummy Diaries.
But recent reports – as well as scenes shown from their reality show – have seen Sam and Billie Faiers butting heads as their lives have headed down different paths.
Last year, it was reported that the once inseparable pair were drifting, following Sam’s departure from the sisters’ joint show, The Mummy Diaries, in June. The news came just over a year after she uprooted from her hometown in Essex to her £2.25million family mansion in Surrey in April 2020. However, pals say the pair are now putting the past behind them – thanks to the arrival of Sam’s third child, a son, last week.
He was born during a home delivery, and Sam, 31 – who also shares son Paul, six, and daughter Rosie, five, with husband Paul Snr. – shared the happy news with her 2.5million Instagram followers, writing, “My whole world. No words can describe how in love we are with you baby boy. I honestly can’t explain my feelings right now. Mummy loves you more than you could ever imagine.”
And an insider tells Closer that the tot is now helping to heal the rift between the sisters.
“The arrival of Sam’s baby has been a much-needed ray of sunshine in the Faiers family, as it’s brought both Sam and Billie much closer together,” they reveal. “There’s always been a lot of healthy rivalry between them but they’re sisters and they love each other. When it comes to big life moments like the arrival of a baby, all the silly squabbles fly out of the window. Billie is so excited to have another nephew and it’s just made her realise that she and Sam need to prioritise seeing each other and spending time as sisters.
“Sam has been in a dreamy, motherhood daze since giving birth and is just feeling really happy and content right now, she doesn’t have any room for negative feelings. She wants to spend time with Billie too and they’ve vowed to make it happen.”
Billie, 32, didn’t hide her emotions when Sam announced she would be leaving Essex during an episode of their ITV2 show – calling her sister “selfish”.
“I was like, ‘Oh, trying to get away from us, are you?’ Why would you want to move away from your family? It’s selfish,” she said at the time.
And sources revealed how Sam’s new life and friendship circle – which includes Luisa Zissman and Ashley Cole’s fiancée Sharon Canu – left Billie feeling “cut off” and “a bit neglected”.
“The most recent tiffs have been about Sam living away from the rest of the family in Surrey, and Billie’s insecurities,” our insider continues.
“Billie has also felt that Sam’s been annoyed with her ever since she got her own spin off show, The Family Diaries, and her career’s taken off. It’s been heartbreaking for the family to see the siblings grow distant from one another when they used to be close. A lot of it has been about miscommunication and projection. Sam doesn’t think that by leaving Essex she is leaving behind her family or her roots.”
But as Billie – who shares daughter Nelly, seven, and son Arthur, five, with her husband Greg Shepherd – went on to tell Closer, their families have been spending weekends at each other’s houses in a bid to maintain their close relationship and for their children to see each other.
Now, our insider says the arrival of the new baby is sure to help bolster their relationship. Commenting underneath her sister’s announcement, Billie wrote, “So incredibly proud of you. Love you all so much. Another beautiful nephew to love forever. You are beyond perfect baby boy.”
“Both Sam and Billie have agreed to wipe the slate clean, anything that happened before the baby arriving is considered water under the bridge,” insiders add.
“They both agree that life is too short to hold grudges. They feel confident that they can strengthen their sisterly bond again now that they have an exciting new addition to the Faiers family.
“They’ve promised each other to set a play date with the kids and have said it doesn’t matter whose house it will be at. Billie is more than happy to travel to Surrey to see Sam and they also want to have a girlie night out, just the two of them, when they can find the time.
“Sam is on cloud nine right now and it’s lifted everyone else’s spirits. Billie feels a lot more relaxed knowing Sam is in a good place and she wants to make sure they don’t ever fall out again, especially over something silly.”