Caroline Flack and Andrew Brady are engaged – but is he going to break her heart?
engaged to “fame hungry” andrew after only three months
She urged fans to follow her lead and #chooselove last week, proudly showing off a sparkly ring on her wedding finger, and revealing that boyfriend Andrew Brady had proposed after just three months together. But if Caroline Flack was expecting nothing but well wishes, she was headed for disappointment as, sure enough, the backlash started, with fans and friends saying that they were moving too quickly, and that her beau was bad news.
Now insiders tell us the TV presenter is refusing to listen to warnings, and friends are worried that she is “burying her head in the sand”. Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to heat, Andrew’s former Apprentice co-star Charles Burns claims the groom-to-be took part in the TV business competition last year “to become a celebrity”, adding, “He’s smart and calculated”.
“Everyone is concerned that Andrew is just using Caroline for her fame and money,” a source close to the star tells us. “It’s no secret he’s been addicted to being in the public eye ever since he was on The Apprentice, and they think that part of the reason he dumped his other girlfriend to be with Caroline is so he could raise his profile.
“It’s hurtful for Caroline to hear people say that about the man she loves, and she dismisses it if anyone tries to bring it up. She’s in love with him and thinks she can guide him towards a showbiz career if that’s what he wants. She’s reassured friends that the idea he’s with her for fame is nonsense.”
The couple got together in February, but their short time together hasn’t been without its drama, with the pair breaking up and making up amid reports that he’d cheated. Days after
they reunited, Andrew, 27, moved into Caroline’s London flat, and Caroline, 38, was soon flashing a new tattoo of his initials on her wrist. After announcing their engagement on Instagram, the pair jetted off on a romantic getaway to Greece – but they couldn’t escape the negative comments. Caroline responded to the criticism, tweeting that “no one is perfect”, adding, “While all you weirdos are taking time to write mean comments about someone you don’t know, I’ll get back to my love nest.”
But friends are still concerned. “They think she’s risking all the hard work she put in to get to where she is now,” our insider says. “But it seems she’s totally fallen for him. Her pals are worried she hardly knows him, and could be on course for heartbreak if they go ahead with the wedding, especially with his love-rat reputation. She’s built up an impressive fortune, but it’s as though she just wants to
party it all away with a man she’s known for about five minutes.”
A former project engineer in the aerospace industry, Andrew stepped into the spotlight last year as a contestant on The Apprentice, courting controversy after reports he’d slept with fellow candidate Anisa Topan while living in the shared house, despite her being engaged at the time. Shortly after being fired in week eight, he returned to our TV screens in January on Celebrity Big Brother.
Rumours that he had a secret girlfriend at the time haven’t been confirmed. But in March, weeks after he got together with Caroline, Andrew was accused of cheating on her during a nightclub PA in Chester, which he has denied. All along, the 27 year old has faced constant speculation that he’s obsessed with becoming famous – an opinion shared by his former
Apprentice competitor Charles Burns, who was eliminated at the same time as Andrew.
“He went on Celebrity Big Brother, for God’s sake, that says everything,” Charles tells heat in an exclusive chat. “He’ll hate that I’ve said this, but he’d do the same to me. While we were on the show, he said, ‘Boys, we’re on the gravy train.’ I didn’t realise what he meant at the time, but his plan was always Big Brother, to get in the public eye. He saw what those Love Island guys did – he was only ever interested in getting a blue tick [on Twitter].”
Charles, a jewellery entrepreneur who, by his own admission “never quite saw eye to eye with Andrew”, thinks his former competitor was never serious about becoming Alan Sugar’s business partner. “With all due respect, there are people on the show who are just there to add entertainment value,” he says. “His business plan had to be changed because production said Lord Sugar wouldn’t like that he didn’t have business experience. He was there for a jolly.”
Speaking about Andrew’s motives with Caroline, Charles says he doesn’t doubt that he’s genuinely in love. But he adds, “Do I believe he’d get involved with someone just for fame or money? No. Do I think that has some motive towards it? Probably. But wouldn’t anyone? He’s a human being. It’s fun to have loads of money and be loved by someone like Caroline Flack.”
Now, we’re told, those closest to Caroline are hoping the pair will have a long engagement – and that the TV star makes sure marriage is the right decision. “Some of her pals aren’t holding their breath for the wedding, and are doubting they’ll actually make it down the aisle,” says our insider. “It was all so impulsive – they’re waiting for Caroline to catch her breath and see the light. They’re hoping that she has the sense to slow things down once she realises how crazy it all is.”
Hmm… a long engagement? That sounds distinctly uncelebrity. If Andrew wants to be a bona-fide VIP, he’d better get planning that whirlwind wedding pronto. n charlotte oliver
‘Some of her pals say she won’t make it down the aisle’