Archive August 10, 2025

Made In Chelsea’s Ryan Libbey has shared an update on his wedding with fiancée Louise Thompson, what kind of day they are planning and which famous face will be best man.

Ryan Libbey has confirmed he is finally set to marry partner Louise Thompson, seven years after he proposed to the reality star in Los Angeles. The couple put a pause on wedding planning as they welcomed their son, Leo, in November 2021, and have had a tough few years since following Louise’s traumatic childbirth – which saw her almost lose her life.

But Ryan has now revealed to Mirror that the big day is back on, with planning in full swing: “We’ve registered our intent to marry. The process has officially started. We’re still deciding – either something small like a town hall wedding and party, or abroad.”

With Louise’s famous brother Sam Thompson living right next door to the couple in West London borough Chelsea, the pair have struck up a close-knit bond. But will Sam get the Best Man spot in the wedding? “He’d probably assume so,” laughs Ryan as he keeps the answer coy. Continuing: “We’re very close now. We live next to each other, hang out all the time – even just us two having chats about life.” If they need any wedding inspiration, it comes after Mel B’s ‘spiritual’ Moroccan wedding with non traditional dress.

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Ryan and Louise are in a positive place now, but have only just come out the other side following Louise’s post-natal troubles. After her traumatic birth which included an emergency C-section and saw Louise almost lose her life twice, she was in hospital for a prolonged stay and left with life-long health implications, alongside PTSD from the experience.

Due to the physical and mental impact, Louise was unable to fully bond with her son, leaving Ryan as the sole caregiver for Leo. “It took chunks out of me,” he says of the experience. Ryan explains, “Louise was unwell and away from parenting for the first 10 months, so I was Leo’s sole caregiver. I hit a low point – possibly depression. I didn’t realise it until family pointed it out.

“Eventually, I had to take a four-day break to reset. It was hard but transformative. We’ve matured as a family and I’ve become passionate about men speaking openly about emotions.”

Now, Louise has struck up a close bond with Leo and the family are finally on a normal track, something Ryan is feeling thankful for. Describing his relationship with Louise as ‘stronger than ever’, Ryan shares what the secret has been to getting to this positive place: “One word: communication. I had to learn all about love languages. Louise’s love language is about quality time and words of affirmation, whereas mine is acts of service,” he says.

“I stopped trying to fix everything. Once I did that, everything changed. We’re in a much better place now. Despite the challenges, we’re stronger than ever.”

And if there is ever anything to iron out, Ryan says they do so in the form of “public therapy”, or in other words, their podcast; He said, She said.

“Louise says she learns a new thing about me in each episode. Nothing is scripted – we hit record and talk real life. It started with parenthood but evolved into relationships and lifestyle. People now recognise us from the podcast more than TV. That authenticity cuts through. It’s like public therapy.”

Now, being a dad feels much more natural to Ryan these days, too. “It took me two years to accept my role as a dad. The first two years were chaotic. But now, at three years old, he’s got this amazing personality.”

Alongside being a dad and a husband-to-be, Personal Trainer Ryan still loves working in fitness, where his bread was buttered before giving reality TV a go. And in his newest project, the dad-of-one has teamed up with Powerade for its ‘Pause Is Power’ campaign, which encourages the public to take a pause from their daily routines.

Ryan has been using this pause, and his fresh love for running, to get himself into a new comfort zone. “Running hasn’t always been my thing. It wasn’t something I was drawn to. But after everything with Louise’s health I needed an outlet,” he says.

“I was invited to do the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert, which was way out of my comfort zone. The race is meant for elite athletes, but I threw myself into the process. It gave me a new outlet. Since then, I’ve enjoyed running more.”

Tracee Ellis Ross, 52, has been solo travelling since her early 20s and now the Black-ish actress is sharing her top tips for those looking to dip their feet into the exciting world of solo travel.

Actress Tracee Ellis Ross, 52, has been solo travelling around the globe since her early 20s, and now she’s sharing pearls of wisdom about the experiences and lessons she’s gained along the way with the world.

In fact, the Girlfriends actress is so passionate about the concept, she’s now the host of her very own travel show — a docuseries titled Solo Travelling with Tracee Ellis Ross, which premiered on The Roku Channel on July 25.

Spread over three episodes, Tracee’s travel docuseries follows the Black-ish actress as she jet sets off to Marbella (Spain), Cancún (Mexico), and Marrakech (Morocco) under the watchful eye of cameras. It comes after a warning to Brit tourists planning all-inclusive holidays to Spain.

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Speaking to the BBC, Tracee shared: “I’ve been solo travelling since I was, like, 24 or 25. And I think my first solo trip went so well that it just… stuck.

“Some people solo travel for adventure. Some people solo travel to meet people. Some people solo travel to get away from their families and their lives… I solo travel as a way to be with myself out in the world.”

So what does the actress, producer, and beauty brand CEO do during her travels? “I decompress. [I] let the dust settle… I learn a lot about myself but mostly I gain this emotional muscle of how to hold space for myself even when things don’t go according to plan. I can do uncomfortable things and find joy.”

Appearing on the TODAY Show, Tracee shared some tips for those contemplating dipping their feet into the solo travel game, advising: “If you’ve never solo travelled you might be afraid, the first thing to do is see if you can go to dinner by yourself. Start with a Tuesday night at 6pm when the restaurant opens. If you can do that, move to a Friday or Saturday at 8pm.

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“If you can do that and you still feel nervous about checking out a trip, go to someplace that you’ve been with other people — but go by yourself, and then you can start adventuring.”

In a conversation with The Associated Press (AP), Tracee also advised solo travellers to ask themselves: “Are you going on a solo trip because you’re single and want to meet other people? Are you going on a solo trip because your life is overwhelmed with your children, your dogs, your cats, your job, your life, your survival, all the things, and you’re going to have a moment to sort of recharge and get away by yourself? Or are you going for an adventure?”

Upon deciding the kind of experience you’re seeking out of your solo trip — that’s when you can begin carving realistic plans to achieve your travel goals safely.

The Reed Between the Lines star also encourages due diligence and caution. During her TODAY Show appearance, Tracee advised: “This is really important for solo travelling in terms of safety. Some of the things that we have of ourselves that are the most empowered, beautiful, special parts of ourselves and our identity — we need to ask ourselves the question: are those things going to leave me vulnerable out in the world?”

Tracee tells AP: “You might not feel vulnerable, but depending on where you’re going, it might leave you vulnerable. That’s a very specific distinction and something to plan for in order to have a good experience.”

And social media users can’t agree more, with one Redditor commenting on Tracee’s solo travel tips and writing: “Everything she said here is 100% on point. I frequently travel by myself and LOVE traveling by myself. I’m not waiting for my bf or bffs to travel with me if they can’t do it. I have things to see and experience. It was an easy thing for me to begin doing because I have always done things by myself, such as going to the movies or eating out by myself.”

Another user shared: “As someone with anxiety, this is GREAT advice. I’ve been doing more and more stuff solo and it’s absolutely helped my confidence and self-esteem”.

While a third Redditor couldn’t stop gushing over the actress: “Tracee Elis Ross is literally the pied piper of “you don’t need a man or kids to make your life meaningful.” I wish I could personally thank her for being the spokesperson for this movement.”

When the Duchess of Sussex reportedly set her sights on living in one particular royal home, the late Queen is said to have dashed her hopes, according to an expert

Despite being a senior working royal for only a few years, Meghan Markle lived like royalty during her time in the Firm, enjoying all the perks that come with being a member of the royal family.

After her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, the Sussexes called two royal residences home, despite it being less than two years between their nuptials and their dramatic exit from the royal family in 2020.

Before their star-studded Windsor wedding, Meghan moved in with Harry when he lived in his humble Nottingham Cottage home on the Kensington Palace estate, which is where he popped the question to his bride-to-be. It comes after Prince Harry’s devastating loss in royal rift was exposed as Meghan ‘holds the cards’.

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A few months after they tied the knot, the couple then relocated to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor royal estate, having been gifted the property by Queen Elizabeth II.

While the Duke and Duchess ended up being very fond of Frogmore Cottage, The Times reported that the newlyweds originally had their sights set on another royal residence to call home.

As has been widely reported in the past, Meghan was said to have wanted to live at Windsor Castle, with the Sussexes asking if “living quarters could be made available after their marriage”.

The late Queen Elizabeth II apparently “firmly” rejected this possibility, as she found the request “inappropriate”, as at the time, only the Queen and Prince Philip had private apartments within the castle.

Royal author and historian Hugo Vickers previously told The Times : “There are empty bedrooms and suites in the private apartments which the Sussexes may have had their eye on, or perhaps some former living quarters in the castle grounds converted into other things.

“But I can see how it might not be entirely appropriate to have a young family living there.” The newspaper reported that according to royal aides, Windsor represents “a special place” for the Sussexes as that’s where they got married and where they held Archie’s christening.

In a book titled The New Royals, royal expert Katie Nicholl spoke of the late Queen’s decision to give Frogmore to Harry and Meghan. Quoting Lady Elizabeth Anson, who died in 2020, Katie penned: “The cottage was a big deal. The Queen’s entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage. It is essentially her backyard, her solitude, and her privacy.

“She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage. We all thought it was very big of her. She said ‘I hope they’ll respect it’.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were very content in Frogmore, as Harry wrote in his 2023 memoir Spare: “We loved that place. From the first minute. It felt as if we were destined to live there.

“We couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning, go for a long walk in the gardens, check in with the swans. Especially grumpy Steve. We met the Queen’s gardeners, got to know their names and the names of all the flowers. They were thrilled at how much we appreciated, and praised, their artistry.”