‘We’ve had this time apart to grow up, so we’ve hit the reset’
MIC stars Olivia Bentley and Tristan Phipps reveal their romance is back on for keeps and they’ve moved in together
The first thing you notice when you sit down for a chat with Made In Chelsea lovebirds Olivia Bentley and Tristan Phipps is that they just can’t keep their hands off each other. Whether it’s a shoulder rub from Tristan or a peck on the cheek from Olivia, it’s clear to see they are smitten.
Holding hands as they sit on the plush sofa in Olivia’s Chelsea apartment, the stars reveal that not only are they (finally!) back together but they’ve also become roommates!
Reminiscing on their decision to rekindle what was once considered a rocky romance, Olivia, who turns 27 this week, jokes,“All it took was a drunken night in Raffles and a lap dance and we were back together!”
“That’s not what happened,” Tristan, 27, laughs.“I was actually on a date – or a liaison, let’s call it
– at that club one night, and then Liv walked in with her friends. I hadn’t seen her in person for around five months and I just thought, ‘Oh f**k, I’m still in love with her.’”
Olivia made her debut appearance in SW3 in 2016, when she was introduced as a love interest for fan favourite Sam Thompson.
In the years that followed, the fine art photographer and businesswoman struck up on-screen romances with the likes of Alex Mytton, Francis Boulle, Fredrik Ferrier, Digby Edgley and Will Higginson. Tristan joined the hit E4 series two years later, forming a kind of “Three Musketeers” with James Taylor and Miles Nazaire.
He soon began dating co-star Verity Bowditch before she called things off via text when the Covid lockdown hit.
It was only when good friends Olivia and Tristan quarantined with pals in a Surrey country home in 2020 that unexpected sparks began to fly between them.“I often forget
that we were friends before,” Olivia admits.“I feel like we’ve been in love the whole time.”
Tristan adds,“I’d never dated anybody I’d previously been friends with – that’s what I found so terrifying at the time – so I thought I knew everything about Liv already but I suddenly started learning something new about her that I loved every day.
“She had this big, tough exterior she portrays on screen but this wall suddenly started to come down and I realised how unbelievably caring she really is.”
Despite things seemingly heading in the right direction for Olivia and Tristan, living together on-and-off during the course of the pandemic led them to feel that the timing wasn’t right. And last year, we all thought they’d called it quits for good.
“Being almost forced to live together during the pandemic – when we were also filming the show together – meant we couldn’t learn to love each other naturally,” Tristan says.“Any normal lovers’ tiff was heightened in that environment.”
“We both struggled massively with not being able to escape one another,”Olivia agrees.“There was no breathing room. And with the public chipping in at all of our decisions, despite only seeing two minutes of arguments on camera, we couldn’t cope.
“We’d go for a walk in the park and someone would photograph us, send the pictures to the press and they’d claim we were having an argument. Things like that took their toll.”
The couple say it’s only now that they feel ready to settle down officially, deciding to live in Liv’s flat together.
“When we decided to get back together this time, we knew we’d be in it for the long run,” Olivia says. “So we thought, why delay? It just felt like the right time for us.
“We’re living together on our own terms now, so it’s been a lot more exciting. It would take a serious amount of arguing to break us up now, even if there’s an abundance of laundry around our flat or I leave my hair clips everywhere.
“I can’t imagine now not waking up with him every morning. Plus, he’s a great chef and cooks all my meals!”
Tristan laughs,“We just work now. She’s the breadwinner and I’m a pro chef. We’ve now had this time apart to grow up, so we’ve hit the reset. I can’t see anything getting in our way.”
Does this include their fellow Made In Chelsea stars?
The road to relationship bliss has never been easy, especially as they were constantly challenged by the opinions of castmates, including Olivia’s close friends and confidants Ollie and Gareth Locke, as well as Tristan’s former flame Verity.
“I think they’ve learnt not to say anything now,”Olivia says.“As much as they said about us, it was never going to change the way we feel. We were never going to be swayed.”
“They seem to have realised there’s a real reason we want to be together,” Tristan adds.“What we do is only for us to decide and I believe they’ve now come to respect that.
“I would have loved to get Ollie and Gareth’s blessing. I’d have loved for them to support our relationship. But actually, we don’t need it.” Olivia agrees, saying,“Ollie and Gareth were a hard one, because obviously I’m so close to them and they mean so much to me. It was difficult at one point to choose between the two.”
Though they might not have had the go-head from their TV pals, the couple say that knowing their families accept their relationship means more than they can say. “They absolutely adore her,” Tristan beams.“I know this might sound strange but I think my mum sees herself in Liv. They’re both strong, independent women, they don’t need anyone looking after them. Even when we broke up, she was Team Liv!”
Liv adds,“My parents love you as well. It’s tricky because I’ve got four siblings and they’re all very protective, so Tristan was nervous about coming back to our house.” “Sunday dinners at yours were intense!” Tristan says. “I had a few problems with your sisters when we started going rocky but I handled it.” So what’s next for Olivia and Tristan? “Definitely not a baby!” Olivia shoots straight back. “People keep asking me when I’m having children but we’ve only been back together for three months.”
Tristan chuckles,“We’re at a really interesting time in our lives where we’ve both just launched great businesses and the future is looking exciting for us. We’re not succumbing to any pressure to do anything fast.”
But with co-stars James and Maeva D’Ascanio set to welcome a baby later this year, pal Tiff Watson having just married and Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo set to tie the knot, Olivia admits that she previously “struggled not to compare” her life with theirs. “When I first heard my friends were getting engaged, it made me feel really sad. I couldn’t help thinking, ‘Oh my God, we’re at that age, but I’m not ready,’” she explains.“But now Tristan and
I are back together, we know what our future holds. I’m still young and I’m so happy. Being a young mum doesn’t appeal to me.” “We don’t feel the need to rush into anything,”Tristan adds.“The nature of the show means they’re always looking for the next big storyline, so that adds pressure. But we’ve got our own timeline and we’re going to follow that. “I’m really happy with where we are right now,” Olivia reveals. “My work is going great, I’ve got Tristan and my friends by my side. What more could I want?”
‘We don’t feel the need to rush into anything’
Made In Chelsea, Mondays at 9pm, E4 and All 4