He’s an international DJ with a party boy reputation, but in reality, Tom Zanetti is a devoted solo dad after having his son Deaconn at just 16.
Opening up about the experience on E4 show Celebs Go Dating recently, he said, “I had my son when I was 16 and his mum wasn’t really around. Now I’ve got full custody of him – he’s been with me all his life.”
When Deaconn was just 18 months old, Tom met girlfriend Lizzie Pickavance who “wanted to be mum” to his son, but she tragically died in a car accident in 2010 when Deaconn was just four years old.
Tom, now 31, admits that it was tough solo parenting Deaconn, who is now 14.
He tells us, “I never planned on being a dad so young, but I wouldn’t change it for the world now. As soon as he was born, I fell in love with him. [But] I can’t really put into words how hard it was. Luckily, I had Deaconn’s grandma and grandad, my mum and my brother Josh, so they were always there for me if I needed them.”
Tom continued with his music ambitions as he brought up his son, in a bid to give him a good quality of life. He says, “I was working almost every night, touring around the UK [as a DJ] and Deaconn lived with me. I’d go and do a set in a club, get back at 6am then I’d have to be up with Deaconn for school at 7am so I wouldn’t sleep. I’d make his breakfast and take him to school, and then try to sleep. It was constant.”
Tom fulfilled his dream of becoming a successful DJ and music producer, but describes his main job as “very proud father”.
He says, “Mine and Deaconn’s relationship is just perfect. I’m his dad but I’m his best friend, too. He’s my go-to guy if I need to speak about certain things.
“He’s mature for his age – he’s had quite a mad life and we’ve both been through a lot together. He’s completely different to how I was as a kid. It sounds bad, but I was getting drunk with my brother and doing things I shouldn’t have been doing! But Deaconn’s such a little gentleman.
“He’s done a lot for his age and he’s very grounded with it. He’s just such a good boy. I couldn’t ask for a better kid.”
Check out: My view on… my Celebs Go Dating castmates
Tom Zanetti on his Celebs Go Dating friendships
1 of 3Wayne Lineker
"Wayne is a proper boss – he's like a modern-day Hugh Hefner! I love everything about him. It would be lovely to see him with a woman more his own age so he can settle down."
2 of 3Curtis Pritchard
"We have such a good relationship and I count him as a very good friend now. Curtis was just class."
3 of 3Karim Zeroual
"Me and Karim had beds next to each other in the mansion and used to cry with laughter every night. There was so much funny stuff that wasn't shown in the final edit – it's a shame they can't show the outtakes."
In 2017, Tom made headlines for collaborating on a music single with Jordan – aka Katie Price – and rumours circulated that the pair had a fling behind then-husband Kieran Hayler’s back – which Tom denied.
Her ex reportedly found messages from Katie telling Tom that she “loved” him and wanted to “marry” him, which she described as “just flirty texts”.
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He then had a high-profile relationship with Love Island star Hayley Hughes in 2018, but the pair split after seven months together. More recently, viewers of Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion saw him and Made In Chelsea’s Sophie Hermann, 34, unexpectedly fall for each other.
After filming the series in late November, the pair are still going strong – and last week, Tom confirmed he will be joining her on Made In Chelsea, which they are currently filming, hinting that they see a future for their romance.
Tom says coyly, “It came together so authentically. We met each other on the first day, but I never knew that she liked me.
“I’ve never seen Made In Chelsea so I was like ‘Wow, who’s that?’. I didn’t know who she was. Behind-the-scenes, you didn’t see that me and her were talking quite often, and that was from day one.”
Luckily, Sophie has his son’s approval. Tom adds, “We’re having a good time – we’re just enjoying it and seeing what happens. Deaconn thinks she’s ace – he think she’s really funny and classy. He said, ‘Dad, she’s really bossy... but in a good way!’.”
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