Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
Look who's the daddy now
Former Made In Chelsea cad Spencer Matthews has just become a father, and a new reality show follows him into family life – just don’t expect his sister-in-law Pippa to pop in
There was a time when all dashing reality TV star Spencer Matthews seemed to do was go to nightclubs, drink too much and play the field. But the cad, who first found fame on Made In Chelsea, was secretly desperate to ‘outgrow his juvenile streak’.
Today, he’s a picture of domestic bliss as he sits with his wife, Irish model and DJ Vogue Williams, and their four-month-old son Theodore. The old Etonian, who’s also been on alpine sports show The Jump (where he met Vogue), The Bachelor, I’m A Celebrity and Celebrity MasterChef, claims he no longer craves attention. ‘I was referred to as a socialite the other day and it’s wildly inaccurate,’ he says. ‘Now I stay in every night, I don’t drink, I watch TV with my wife and I have a pizza.’
Vogue, 33, is quick to expose her husband’s deceit. ‘You liar!’ she exclaims. ‘You don’t have pizza!’
Spencer demurs equally quickly. ‘To be fair, it’s usually a chicken salad. But seriously, I loved Made In Chelsea – it gave me a platform. But our new show is very different.’
Spencer, Vogue And Baby Too is a new reality series that follows Spencer and Vogue’s journey into parenthood. It shows a man who’s finally grown up, thanks to his uber-organised wife. The couple were engaged last February after meeting on The Jump in 2017 – Spencer proposed on stage after they watched a West End show. They announced Vogue’s pregnancy in March and tied the knot at Spencer’s 10,000-acre family estate in the Scottish Highlands in June.
The wedding came a year after his brother James – a hedge fund CEO – married the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister, Pippa Middleton, in a star- studded wedding attended by Princes William and Harry. James and Pippa welcomed their son Arthur in October, weeks after Theodore’s birth, and Spencer was pictured just after Christmas cooing over his young nephew.
While he may not crave attention now, Spencer, 30, is happy for his son to step into his shoes, even if he admits ‘at this stage he’s contributing very little’. So what’s the difference? ‘I love our show – we film at home and you see us as we really are,’ he explains. ‘We have this amusing, competitive life together. Being at home is heaven. We love a party and a great meal, but our priorities are very different now and I have my best friend and soulmate with me, so I don’t really need to be out socialising. You see our relationship dynamic, you’ll meet our friends, and families. You have access to a real, fun relationship.’
There’s constant banter between the pair. ‘How we are in the show,’ says Vogue,
‘ that’s the way we are with each other, except that I’m still into socialising.’ Spencer rolls his eyes. ‘Every time she goes out, my phone buzzes ten minutes later with her saying, “I wish I was at home.”’ Theodore’s naming ceremony is also shown in the series. Were the guests happy to be filmed? ‘Most people were fine,’ says Vogue. ‘Spencer’s sister Nina was a bit uncomfortable, but she did great.’ Contrary to popular belief, Spen-
cer’s brother James has not said he can no longer besmirch the family reputation with reality TV. ‘He had absolutely no interest, though,’ says Spencer. ‘He’ll never be appearing on our show. They’re an extremely private family and we respect that. He has told me to talk about the weather if his name is ever mentioned... isn’t it dark outside?’ Spencer’s happy to talk about his late, older brother Michael, however. In 1999, aged 22, Michael became the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Everest, but disappeared on the descent. Spencer, who was ten, is fully committed to raising money for the Michael Matthews Foundat ion, which builds schools in Africa and Asia. ‘He was on Everest when there was a problem with the oxygen. They didn’t take enough up and he ended up with none. Michael was unaware and got separated from the group in a storm and was never found,’ he says softly.
‘I was living in St Barts in the Caribbean when the news hit. Being that age, I never really understood it. I thought he’d reappear one day. He was my superhero, we were twins separated by time. It was a massive blow to my family. Climb- ing Everest for a charity, for example, is something I wouldn’t do. I couldn’t put my family through it. ‘We have a foundation because we’d like Michael’s name to live on. There are 2,200 children benefiting now. We work mainly in Tanzania and we raise money however we can. It’s a non-profit organisation. All the money goes to the children and their education. I’ve got five Ironman Triathlon events this year, and I’ll see if anyone wants to throw a few quid in the pot.’
Spencer, Spenny to his pals, blames his earlier hellraising on his upbringing in the Caribbean. His father David – whose used- car business made him a multi-millionaire and who last year was at the centre of two historic rape allegations, both of which he strenuously denied – bought the exclusive Eden Rock resort in St Barts. It was there that Spencer lost his virginity at 13 and by 15 was drink-driving fast cars.
After Eton, he went to the University of Southern California to study film and television but dropped out after a few months. His reputation as a womaniser came on Made In Chelsea, which began in 2011. The E4 show won a BAFTA, but he left in 2016. When he met Vogue on The Jump, it was his first relationship not documented by the Made In Chelsea cameras. ‘The worst question I get is, “How did you tame Spencer?” I didn’t,’ insists Vogue. ‘He was 28 when I met him. You’re a different person at 20. My life wasn’t televised, so I just got away with it all.’
Spencer agrees. ‘I don’t think I got up to anything that your average person doesn’t. But I was demonised for it. I look at everything as a job. That show’s commodity is drama, so to do a good job you had to be dramatic.’ Vogue grew up in Dublin, the youngest of three. She began modelling at 16 before her stepfather persuaded her to study construction design and management in Aberdeen. But, like Spencer, reality television came her way when she was cast in Irish TV show Fade Street in 2010. In May 2011 she had a whirlwind romance with Brian McFadden, from Irish boy band Westlife.
Within months they had moved to Australia, and in September 2012 they married in a lavish ceremony in Florence. Three years later, they had separated. Looking back, Vogue believes she was running away after her father died from a stroke.
On The Jump, she hit it off immediately with Spencer. ‘He was the best of a bad bunch,’ she says. ‘He was wearing tracksuit bottoms and slipper shoes when he waltzed in, and I thought, “What is he wearing?”’
‘Well, it did the trick,’ says Spencer. Vogue carries on. ‘We got really close, really quickly. Both of our mums say we’re the same person. We both love ourselves.’
Spencer agrees. ‘It’s important to have confidence and love yourself, but Vogue loves herself more.’ Vogue laughs. ‘No I don’t.’ One thing is clear, though – they both love baby Theodore even more. Kissing him on the head, Spencer affectionately says, ‘Piggly, you little fat beef burrito.’
Will Spencer’s parents, David and Jane, watch their show? ‘Yes. They support me in every way – they think it’s good fun as long as there’s a reason for it.’
The one person who isn’t happy that Theodore is on the scene is their beagle-cavalier, Winston, who was Vogue’s dog before she met Spencer. ‘He’s the stepson you don’t want. He has everything, and he’s a whinger,’ says Spencer. ‘We have a very funny bit in the show about his depression.’
The show will also show them at work. But what is work for them? For Spencer it’s his new Eden Rock Diamonds bespoke jewellery business (the first piece made was Vogue’s huge engagement ring). Vogue’s launching a fake tan product and has a jewellery line with designer Katie Mullally.
But for now, the reality show is their main baby. ‘I did the desk job thing for years in the City and I’d pick reality TV any day,’ says Spencer. ‘And now they’ve given me my own show. But, for legal reasons, I have to share it with my wife!’ Spencer, Vogue And Baby Too, Monday, 9pm, E4. Episode one is available on All4 now.
‘I stay in now, I don’t drink and I watch TV with my wife’ SPENCER MATTHEWS ‘Our mums say we both love ourselves’ VOGUE WILLIAMS