We've seen plenty of TOWIE stars over the years but we're always confused by the ones who make an appearance for one series and that's it. Poof. They're gone.
One of those Essex stars is Tommy Cole who joined the show in 2021 alongside Rem Larue, Dani Imbert and Roman Hackett.
The Lockie-lookalike only popped up towards the end of the series but quickly made an impact as he caught the eye of Frankie Sims.
And just as viewers were getting to know him, it was revealed that he wouldn’t be returning for series 29 after a mass cull which saw the likes of Courtney Green, Chloe Meadows, Ella Rae Wise and more axed from the show.
Tommy is still on the Essex scene though after coupling up with another of the show’s former cast members - and they recently announced some exciting news. Here’s everything you need to know about him…
When was Tommy Cole on TOWIE?
Tommy was a new recruit on TOWIE back in 2021, making his debut on Sunday 2 May for series 28.
He was lined up as a potential love interest for Frankie, but they barely had time to get to know each other before the series came to end.
Tommy wasn't brought back for series 29 after a huge cast shake-up which saw ten stars axed from the ITVBe show.
Is Tommy Cole dating Clelia Theodorou?
Clelia Theodorou confirmed she and Tommy were an item back in 2021 after eagle-eyed fans noticed them dropping flirty comments under each other's Instagram posts and three years later, the pair recently announced they were engaged.
Their engagement comes a year after Clelia gave birth to their first daughter, Cielo. Clelia and Tommy announced that they're having a baby in March 2023 when they posted an adorable black and white video on Instagram and wrote, "It’s been too hard keeping this one to ourselves, but we are beyond excited to tell you all that our little one is on the way! We cannot wait to meet you baby Cole 👼🏼🍼💫🤍."
Hundreds of their followers rushed to congratulate the pair with Chloe Lewis writing, "Wonderful news congratulations lovely! Big kiss to you ✨🤍."
Real Housewives of Cheshire's Dawn Ward commented, "Oh how exciting for you all ❤️❤️❤️ so a happy for you xxx."
Love Island 2020's Paige Turley said, "Ahhh how amazing!!! Congratulations guys 🥹❤️❤️ Xxx."
Saffron Lempriere added, "What a lovely story ❤️ amazing news congratulations x."
The couple first revealed they were dating during a Q&A on social media when one of Clelia's followers asked, "Are you seeing Tommy? Been together a lot recently?" Clelia then replied, "Lots of these! Yes!"
Who does Tommy Cole know from TOWIE?
Tommy was introduced as an old pal of Demi Sims, but like all TOWIE stars he's a regular on the Essex scene.
What happened with Tommy Cole and Frankie Sims?
Since her split from Harry Lee in 2020 following a series of ‘blazing rows’, Frankie had been a single pringle but she took a liking to hunky Tommy C when she spotted him while on a night out with her sister Demi.
The pair went on a date while filming, but romance didn't blossom between them and she later went public with Love Island's Jack Fincham.
How old is Tommy Cole?
Tommy is a little older than the other newbies who joined the show at the same time – at 34, he’s closer in age to Pete Wicks, James Lock and Chloe Sims.
What is Tommy Cole’s job?
Tommy runs his own clothing brand, Full Blessed Clothing, which has recently launched an online store in America – so it must be doing well.
Was Tommy Cole on Celebs Go Dating?
Yes, he was.
Back in 2018, Tommy got on very well with Love Island's Olivia Attwood. In fact, she picked him as her date for the Celebs Go Dating final in Crete.
Who has Tommy Cole dated in the past?
As well as romancing Frankie on TOWIE and Olivia on Celebs Go Dating, he's previously dated Sophia Chawki who starred on Britain's Next Top Model in 2017.
Does Tommy Cole have Instagram?
Yep, you can follow Tommy at @tommy.cole.