Former TOWIE star Chloe Sims confirmed her romance with pop legend Lionel Richie’s son, Miles, last week after she was spotted packing-on the PDA with her new toyboy on a night out in LA. And pals say Chloe – who quit the UK last year – is now gearing up to meet her new beau’s superstar dad.
“Chloe’s smitten with Miles. It’s early days but they’ve known each other for a long time – the relationship flourished from a friendship,” a source tells Closer. They initially met through Chloe’s BFF, Vas J Morgan, who’s been friends with the entire Richie family for years and is particularly close with Lionel’s daughter, Sofia. Chloe and Miles had always been very flirty, but it wasn’t until around a month ago that things progressed into a romance and they’ve been inseparable ever since.
“Miles is extremely close to his dad and has already told Chloe he wants her to meet him, so she’s obviously nervous and excited at the same time. It’s all very surreal dating the son of a global music legend and friends are already joking at how epic their wedding would be with Lionel singing their first dance!”
During her 11-year tenure on TOWIE, Chloe’s turbulent love life contributed to some of the show’s biggest storylines as viewers watched the single mum’s seemingly endless search to find The One amid relationships with a string of co-stars including Elliot Wright, Dan Edgar and Pete Wicks.
When Closer met with Chloe, 42, at her swanky Beverly Hills apartment in December, the mum-of-one – who shares 19-year-old daughter Madison with her former partner – revealed she was determined to break the cycle of being “famously single” and was ready to find her “American Mr Right.”
Chloe’s romance with the hunky model – who is 13 years her junior – has come as a surprise to many, especially after recently telling Closer she was looking for “an older man with a dad bod”. But pals say the House Of Sims star – whose reality show charting her and her siblings’ new life in LA started airing on Netflix last week – had admitted that meeting Miles has sparked a change of heart.
“While Chloe was initially hesitant about getting into a relationship with someone so much younger than her, she quickly realised that age really is just a number and says Miles is more mature than many men twice his age,” the source says.
“After getting to know Miles much better and spending lots of time with him, her opinion about dating younger men quickly changed and she’s told pals that after being heartbroken by men who seemed ‘perfect on paper’, she’s realised that dating preferences aren’t the be-all and end-all. She decided to give him a chance – which has so far paid off.
“She’s not rushing into anything and is being cautious given how many times she’s been burnt in the past, but for now, she’s just enjoying the early stages of dating again and is quietly hopeful that this will blossom into the relationship she’s been patiently waiting for, for a very long time.”