They’ve worked hard to build up their brand and become one of the most recognisable reality TV couples in the country. But Spencer Matthews and Vogue Williams found themselves embroiled in some unwanted drama last week.
It started with Lottie Moss denying she’d slept with former Made In Chelsea star Spencer at Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s wedding in May, following rumours on TikTok about the pair hooking up.
Lottie – half-sister of supermodel Kate Moss – insisted in an interview that “it’s not true” and that they “partied together but there was nothing more to it”.
Just days later, Spencer’s wife Vogue – with whom he shares children Theodore, four, Gigi, three and 15-month-old Otto – faced backlash from fans for her Marks & Spencers Instagram post, showing off a range of swimsuits and bikinis. One social media user wrote, “Vogue is not the right person to sell an M&S swimsuit for the everyday woman – she’s a skinny millionaire!”
The drama continued for the couple when Vogue revealed her husband of five years had been hospitalised while on holiday in Spain after taking an accidental overdose of cold sore tablets.
Joking on her podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me that Spencer “is a little b***h and can’t handle it”, Vogue said, “He overdosed on cold sore tablets and his liver function, because he did it for a full week, taking 10 of these things”.
But fans were baffled by the story, with one posting on social media, “That’s a new one. I wonder what really happened here”.
Spencer, 35, rose to fame as MIC’s Lothario from 2011 until he left in 2015. He’d had a string of disastrous relationships with co-stars including Louise Thompson, Lucy Watson and Stephanie Pratt. The dramatic revelations on screen included him confessing to cheating on Louise in her own bed.
In 2012 – allegedly amid his on-off relationship with Louise – his bad boy behaviour continued when he appeared on The Bachelor, flirting with a bevy of single women. Three years later, the narrative shifted from his love life to substance abuse, when he was forced to leave I’m A Celebrity! reportedly due to a secret steroid addiction.
But he transformed his life after meeting wife Vogue – who was previously married to Westlife star Brian McFadden – on reality show The Jump in 2017.
The pair landed their own Channel 4 reality show, a series of brand deals and successful podcasts. Spencer – whose brother James is married to the Princess of Wales’ sister Pippa Middleton – overhauled his lifestyle and quit alcohol in 2018, going on to launch non-alcoholic brand CleanCo. He also starred in an emotional and critically-acclaimed documentary earlier this year, Finding Michael, about trying to find the body of his elder brother on Mount Everest, where he died during an expedition in 1999.
But with the recent backlash, it seems that public perception of Spencer and Vogue could be turning. PR expert Natasha Hatherall-Shawe – head of TishTash Communications – tells Closer the couple can still future-proof their ‘empire’.
She says, “Spencer and Vogue’s family ‘brand’ will definitely have taken a hit this week. Their image has always relied on them being authentic with fans.
“Spencer’s illness was explained away with Vogue saying he didn’t read the instructions, and that’s not a relatable explanation. No wonder it’s questioned by fans."
“And regarding claims of infidelity with Lottie Moss, Spencer has reinvented himself from party boy to a successful family man in touch with his emotions – people love to see a redemption. So any claims of ‘bad boy’ antics will tarnish that. That’s not who he wants to portray himself as anymore and it’ll go down terribly with fans.”
While Natasha insists Vogue should not have been “thinshamed”, she adds, “The public always see straight through inauthentic partnerships. So it’d be a good idea for Vogue to ensure she’s working with brands that reflect her authentic lifestyle.
“Spencer and Vogue have a lot to work with and a lot of positive opportunities. It’s a very quick fall from grace when the perception of ‘perfect couple’ is tarnished, and in 2023 there is nowhere to hide. The public forgive relatively easily, but only when they truly ‘related’ in the first place.”
