He rose to fame as a cheeky chappy on The Only Way Is Essex, joining the show in 2014, and now, nine years on, Tommy Mallet is a millionaire businessman, as well as a doting dad of one.
Reflecting on how much he’s changed since becoming a dad, Tommy – who had baby Brody, now two, with partner of 10 years, Georgia Kousoulou, in 2021 – says, “I feel like I’ve become a lot softer since having a kid. I don’t do the big nights out, I don’t travel as much, I do the best I can. I’ve learned patience and I’ve learned to appreciate the little things. Rather than going on all these extravagant holidays now, Georgia and I are perfectly happy to take Brody caravanning. I just want to spend time with them. I can’t remember the person I was before and I don’t want to.”
When Tommy, 31, joined TOWIE, he was introduced as Lewis Bloor’s best friend, but he also had a connection through Georgia, 32 – who’d joined the reality show earlier that year for series 11 – as the pair had just started dating after meeting in the gym.
Viewers watched their relationship develop as they stayed strong amidst all the TOWIE drama going on around them before they welcomed Brody. Then, in February 2022, Tommy proposed to Georgia while on holiday in Mexico, with a camera crew there to capture the special moment for their reality series Baby Steps.
Opening up about their upcoming big day, Tommy admits, “I’m not super involved in the wedding planning because every time we have a conversation about what we want to do, I end up being a bit of a control freak when it should be all about Georgia. It’s Georgia’s day so what she wants goes.” Laughing, he adds, “I’ll just pay the bills!”
Tommy continues, “Brody will likely have a role in the ceremony – he’s the only kid coming – but beyond that we haven’t actually starting planning much.”
Despite all his success, Tommy has openly struggled with his mental health and has been an inspirational advocate in speaking out on the topic. Fans recently praised the reality star for his bravery when discussing both his and Georgia’s miscarriage in April of this year on Baby Steps, as well as his ADHD diagnosis in 2022.
Acknowledging that he and Georgia broke up for a short time before he went to see a specialist, Tommy’s troubles came to a head when Brody was born.
He says, “Brody’s crying used to be a sound trigger for my ADHD and go straight through me and it really hurt me. I just couldn’t understand why I found it so hard. My life has completely changed in the past two years with my diagnosis and having a baby – I had to confront things head on and it’s made me a stronger person."
Launched in 2015, Tommy’s business – Mallet London – has become known for selling premium footwear, loved by celebs including Drake and Will.i.am, turning into an international brand in the process and making him millions.
As well as his shoe business, Tommy has built up a solid career as a reality star, appearing on both TOWIE and Baby Steps with Georgia, with the pair earning enough to move into a £1 million mansion in Essex.
Acknowledging how far he’s come, Tommy tells Closer, “I’ve had so many achievements in my life – in some ways, I basically feel like it’s happened already. But building my business is one of the things that gets me up in the morning. It’s the same with my little boy Brody – he gives me purpose.”
Now Tommy has partnered with Superdrug’s Rise Up To Level Up campaign – an apprenticeship programme – acknowledging that his own meteoric rise from humble beginnings means that he is able to give back to others.
Speaking about being the face of the project, he says, “I became an apprentice when I left school and it really helped me to flourish and get to where I am now. Now that I have a platform, I want to use it to help others and encourage as many people as possible to take up this opportunity."