MIC’S Tiff Watson and Liv Bentley on sex toys and the Sam Thompson/zara Mcdermott drama
Being rich might be able to buy you many things, but what it certainly can’t buy you is immunity from the continuing weirdness that is 2020. After a shorter than normal visit to southwest London earlier this year due to COVID-19, the 20th series of Made In Chelsea is back on the telly – complete with social-distancing measures and heaps of high-class drama. And we are here for it, babes.
This year, the cast and crew have had to switch up their normal living and filming routines, and while there’s still plenty of Bolly bubbles, there’s also a couple of social bubbles. Before the cameras could roll, everyone’s favourite Sloanies self-isolated and then split into groups, with some sent to shack up in a couple of fancy country manors (like Tiffany Watson and Olivia Bentley, who are on the blower today), and the others left to kick around the Kings Road, SW3.
The result? “A lot of arguments – more than we’ve had in a long time,” Liv tells heat candidly. “Every single episode this season is controversial. I guess that’s what happens when you get locked up for so long!” It’s early days, but so far, what she’s saying seems true, seeing as episode one saw her lobbing a drink into the face of Sam Thompson, the ex-boyfriend of Tiff, who’s been tarnished with some of the toe-curling fallout between him and his (now ex) girlfriend Zara Mcdermott.
But was it a booty call that Tiff made to Sam at 3am in the morning? Let’s find out, shall we…
Liv, you’ve said that there have been a LOT of arguments this series... Liv: Mainly just from my mouth. Why so many? Tiff: I think it just got to a point where people needed to be called out for things. L: Yeah, we’ve been around for a long time and it really frustrates me when people don’t own up to shit. I’m happy to hold my hands up when I’m in the wrong, and I know that Tiff will as well. But then you get “certain” people who say all this crap behind your back and then won’t face you to discuss it. That gets my back up. Who have you had the biggest falling out with? L: Ooh, well, let’s just say that every episode is controversial. From episode one, you saw the fallout with Melissa [Tattam] and that naughty voice note [she called Zara a “fame whore” behind her back] – that was a shocker, wasn’t it? And, obviously, I threw a drink in Sam’s face. Yes, about that – do you regret it and have you made up now? L: [Raises her voice] Absolutely not! On both counts. I don’t regret it because at the time there was a lot of stuff being said, and obviously that whole conversation was a lot longer than what it was cut down to in the episode. So, I know it might not look like throwing a drink in his face was justified, but at the time, it felt like the right thing to do. T: He gets very defensive and Liv felt he was saying unnecessary things. L: Yeah, there were some really below-the-belt comments. I mean, God,
‘I’ve never made a booty call – I just want to make food’ Tiff
I don’t advocate throwing drinks at people, it’s not something I do regularly, but at the time, it felt like the right thing to do. Tiff, there’s been a lot of friction between Zara and Sam because of you, no? T: I think that everything just got really twisted by other people. Zara was listening to the wrong people and they were making things a lot worse, because they enjoy the drama. Had she just come to me, one on one, it would have been quashed a long time ago. It’s all been so twisted and she got her back up, but once we spoke face-to-face, I was able to set the record straight. And now they’ve split because she admitted to cheating on him? Both: Um, we don’t know about that. T: I mean, they have broken up, yes. L: Spoiler alert! Sam accused you of giving him a booty call. Did you? Tiff: Funniest thing I’ve heard this year.
If you were going to make a booty call, would he be on your list? T: Absolutely not. L: No way! T: No, he wouldn’t be on the list. I have to say, I’ve never made a booty call in my life. After a big night out, all I want to do is go home and make food – I’m certainly not scrolling through my phone thinking about who could give me a quick bonk. How were your lockdowns? Lots of banana bread baking and PE with Joe Wicks? L: Absolutely not. I didn’t do any baking or workouts. I sat on my arse for the whole thing. Did you drink a lot of booze? T: I was drinking every night just for something to do. But you were sober for, what, the first two months of it? L: Yup. I didn’t touch any booze, which is pretty shocking. How did you find the whole thing, mentally?
T: I found it really hard, because
I’m always out and about doing something, so I struggled. But it taught me what’s important, and to not always say “yes” to loads of stuff. So, there were highs and lows through it, for sure. L: Gosh, that’s such a good answer. I found it alright, but I was living with my family and they’re a f**king nightmare. So, after the first month, it began to pretty much resemble hell. How was the return to filming? T: It’s been sort of weird, but I think we were all so ready to be back, as we’d had so much time off. It was so nice to see all the people we hadn’t seen in ages. I don’t know about you, Liv, but I think most of us were really up for it. Apart from the social bubbles, how has corona changed filming? L: Well, there’s a lot of hand sanitising going on, which is actually very beneficial for certain cast members who are on the filthier side, naming no names. [Laughs.] It was actually a lot easier when we went away and were in the country houses, as we were all in the same bubble. How was that, all living together? L: Well, I mean, the first two days were brilliant, but after that… [Laughs.] No, I’m joking. It was really good. But the whole COVID thing does make things harder. Like, all the crew had to be masked up at all times and we had to stay clean. T: And we had this “COVID woman” on site at all times, making sure everything was done properly. What was
her name? Sue? L: Yes, Sue. Always there with the squirty stuff, giving it to everyone. What’s the worst part about dealing with break-ups in the public eye? L: The comments that you get on social media, and the fact that people think that giving their two-pence worth is actually going to make some difference. T: I just like to be able to deal with things on my own for a bit. But when everyone knows, then you get everyone messaging you.
L: When I’d split up with Digby [Edgley ] and then went on Celebs Go Dating, I was getting so many messages from people who thought I was still with him. I had to put an Insta-story up saying how we’d split up three months ago! No normal person would ever have to explain a timeline of their relationship. Do you go on Twitter after an episode airs to see what people are saying? T: I don’t – it just makes me feel worse. L: If I get nasty comments, I just block that person. I don’t retaliate, it’s pointless. T: When I see people say things like, “It was obviously a booty call,” it makes me so frustrated and I want to put them straight. But you have to sit back and think, “What’s the point?” L: The only time I’ll reply is if
I’m a bit hungover on a Sunday morning and am looking for a bit of a fight. Tiff, you’ve been spotted out and about with footballer Cameron Mcgeehan… L: Oi-oi! Are you two going steady? T: Erm, yeah. L: And you’re not going to believe it – he’s a vegan, too. How can he be a vegan and so muscly? L: It’s very bizarre, isn’t it? T: It’s God’s gift. What can I say, it’s been a hard year. [Both laugh.] Will he be on the show? T: No. I don’t think so. I don’t think football and MIC go hand in hand. I think he’d prefer not to be a part of it. I know all about football now, though, and I didn’t before. I’ve never watched a game of football in my life. So, right now, there’s literally no way you’d get back together with Sam? T: God, no. L: Oh my god, what a horrible thought. T: Even if I was single, I wouldn’t think about getting back together with him! I don’t want to be Taylor
Swift, but we are never, ever getting back together. Liv, what are you looking for in a man? L: Someone not made in Chelsea. T: Liv needs someone who’s equally as witty as her. And someone who can stand up to her. L: I think that’s something that’s gone wrong in many of my relationships, actually. I’ll say something and they’ll just do it or agree with it. I need to find someone equal. What will be the last thing you do before your head hits the pillow tonight? L: Tiffany, don’t say vibrator. T: [Shrieks.] L: Oh my god, you’re going to die – basically, in this series there’s been a lot of chat about vibrators, and I genuinely got an email the other day asking if I’d like to promote one. I was like, “I couldn’t possibly. Absolutely not”. T: But we could have our own line of them. L: “Get lubed up with Liv!” Now, there’s a thought… n Made In Chelsea is on E4, Mondays at 9pm