‘We expected everything would be OK’
Ollie Locke-Locke on his tough journey to fatherhood with husband Gareth
Ollie Locke-Locke has come a long way since his first appearance on Made In Chelsea in 2011 alongside his bestie Binky Felstead. The star, 34, is now married to his partner Gareth, 31, (who also had the surname Locke before they wed) and the couple are hoping to become parents via surrogate and IVF. Here, Ollie opens up about his dreams of becoming a dad and what married life has been like…
Hey, Ollie! How did you and Gareth get on with the lockdowns?
We were quite lucky because in the first lockdown we were planning the wedding. We were the last couple to get married before the second lockdown in Britain. We signed our register one minute to 10pm. If it was 10pm, it would have been illegal. We weren’t allowed a reception so we had Zoom calls instead!
You’ve openly discussed your journey to fatherhood – and recently sadly revealed the IVF hadn’t been successful. Has the experience been tougher than you expected?
It has. I think it’s because we all expected that everything would be OK. We had a positive mental attitude. We were really excited, and in the end, it didn’t work. But yeah, life isn’t as easy as it seems sometimes.
Have you had lots of support?
It’s lovely to have a community around us. Joining a community of people who are also struggling to have children is lovely. It’s nice because, in that environment, no one is famous or in the public eye. Everyone joins this one community where we’re all in the same boat. Everyone wants to help each other and try to reach that final goal. It’s sweet.
You recently renovated your home. Is it your forever home?
No, I don’t think it is. We live in a bit of a fishbowl. Everyone knows where we live and we’ve got enormous windows. So, everyone walking down our road knows where we are and what we do. And I think by the time we have
children, and they start crawling around, it’s time to move into a house in the countryside.
Has married life changed your relationship with Gareth in any way?
The real answer is no, it hasn’t changed too much, but you feel slightly more secure.
Your friend Binky recently gave birth to her son Wolfie. Have you met the baby yet?
I haven’t yet, but I’m incredibly excited. I’ve met the baby on FaceTime, and I can’t wait for a cuddle very shortly.
Has she given you any parenting advice?
We give each other lots of advice. I’ve watched her grow up and becoming a mother has been the best thing that’s ever happened to her.
‘Life isn’t as easy as it seems sometimes’
You’re one of the Made In Chelsea originals – has the show changed since you first started?
What’s quite interesting is we become older. People can now see the cast go through everything in life, such as our IVF journey, marriage and all that.You can still be 18 and watch the show and love the idea of watching a couple breaking up. But if you are slightly older and you’re more interested in working through marriage, you can watch that too.
You’re working with Durex’s Roadmap to Sexual Satisfaction…
Yes, it’s so important talking about the emotional side of sex. Make sure you let yourself get back out there. Create some wonderful memories and find some love. Sex is a beautiful thing. It’s a very big part of our lives. It’s about time we talk about it more.
Durex, Gemma Collins, Ollie Locke-Locke and Alix Fox have created ‘The Roadmap to Sexual Satisfaction’ ensuring you are fully prepared emotionally, physically and with the best fitting condoms to reconnect this summer.Visit durex.co.uk/pages/reconnectwith-durex