TOWIE icon Sam Faiers was a 19-year-old Essex party girl when she rose to fame in 2010 as an original cast member on the show. Fast forward 14 years, and life looks pretty different for the businesswoman and reality star. Sam, 33, is a happily settled mother of three, sharing Paul, eight, Rosie, six, and Edward, two, with long-term boyfriend Paul Knightley.
She tells Closer about trading Essex living for Surrey, and her unexpected new life as a ‘cheer mum’.
Hi, Sam! You and Paul have been together for 10 years this month – what’s the key to balancing your hectic schedules?
Oh, gosh, that’s a hard one. At the weekend, we sit down and we’re like, ‘Right, let’s plan out the week.’ Generally, I get to work from home, so I feel really grateful that I’m always present as a mum, and Paul’s office isn’t too far from where we live. So we just kind of juggle everything at the moment, and we kind of wing it each week.
You managed to get away for an amazing family holiday recently though?
Yes, with Royal Caribbean! I’d never been on a cruise before and I always feel like there’s a bit of a stigma around cruises [being] for the older generation… Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint highlights because there’s literally everything – it was like going to a whole new world. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I really enjoyed the zip line. I was the only one that actually did it, and I loved it because I just thought how insane… we’re on this huge cruise ship going across the sea and there’s me just zip-lining across!
Rosie’s getting into her cheerleading – how is that all going?
I never realised how big cheerleading was in the UK! I’m definitely a cheer mum. She competes all over the country. Obviously, when they’re at school a lot, it’s long days, and I’m always checking on the kids like, ‘You’re still really enjoying it? You still want to do it?’ We have this big trampoline mat at home, and it’s in the garden most of the time. From the minute she gets home, it’s cartwheels, it’s splits, it’s jumping. Honestly, the energy that girl has is insane!
You’ve lived in Surrey for several years now. What made you want to move in the first place?
When Paul and I met and then we had little Paul, we wanted to start a new life for ourselves as a new family somewhere just outside Essex. We did four amazing years in Hertfordshire, but I still felt like it wasn’t quite where I wanted – it didn’t feel like my forever home. And then Surrey was the next option. There were loads of pros to living here, even though it was a bit further away from Essex. But now we’re here, we absolutely love it.
No big return to Essex, then?
I don’t think we would ever move anywhere else in England. I just feel like this is home for me now. I always visit Essex. I’m probably there a couple of times a month, because obviously all my family still live there. But I think at this stage in life, you are in your little bubble. It’s me, Paul and the kids.
Sam Faiers has partnered with Royal Caribbean International for her holiday onboard cruise ship, Oasis Of The Seas. Offering the ultimate choice for a family holiday and memorable quality time, six Royal Caribbean ships will sail from five European destinations next summer (2025).
