THEY’VE been engaged for seven years and have two children together, but Lucy Mecklenburgh is still in no rush to marry Ryan Thomas – and there’s a very personal family reason why.
The couple met on Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls in 2017 and got engaged two years later in Positano, Italy.
Lucy Mecklenburgh has revealed why she is still in no rush to tie the knot with partner Ryan Thomas Credit: Unknown
The pair have been engaged for seven years and share two kids Credit: Unknown
They went on to have two children, Roman, six, and Lilah, four.
But while fans have been waiting for the couple to finally say “I do”, Lucy, 35, says it has been pushed down the priority list.
She tells Fabulous: “Oh god. It’s been one of those things I get asked a lot. It’s never been ‘not happening’ because it’s still definitely on the cards.
“But we got engaged, we fell pregnant, then we had a global pandemic, then we had another baby and then we decided to move four hours away from Essex to Manchester. It’s been a lot.
“It’s my sister Lydia’s wedding next summer, so at the moment I’m saying ‘this is all about you.’
“She’s my baby sister and I’m so excited about it. I do know that Lilah will be flower girl and Roman will be page boy.
“It will be so lovely but I’m gonna let her have her time to shine.”
Lucy, who is also stepmum to Ryan’s daughter Scarlett, 17, who he shares with ex Tina O’Brien, 43, also admits the spiralling cost of weddings – which can cost an average of £22,000 in the UK – has also played a part.
She explains: “I think our priorities changed on money because it’s a big thing. It’s a lot of money.
“We’ve got kids, we’ve got responsibilities now. So if there’s been that money in the pot, it’s gone on a house extension or a family holiday.
“But maybe after my sister’s wedding we can try to do it – as long as we don’t move house again!”
And while the pair may not have made their relationship legally binding just yet, there’s another detail of their home life that has raised eyebrows among fans – because Ryan, 42, previously revealed on his podcast At Home With The Thomas Bros that the couple don’t even sleep in the same bed.
But rather than being a sign of trouble in paradise, Lucy says there’s one very unromantic reason for their sleeping arrangement.
She says: “He’s a horrendous snorer. He snores, he sleep talks, he pushes me out the bed and I need my sleep so that is why. I’ve never really thought about [missing out on having a cuddle].
“It’s not every night but sometimes I say ‘I’ve got a big day tomorrow. I think maybe you should sleep in the spare room.’
“Also his snoring is always worse after a night out.”
This isn’t the first time former Corrie star Ryan has overshared details of their relationship on his podcast – something Lucy is now having to learn to live with.
The pair met on Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls back in 2017 Credit: Channel 4 Television
Ryan often shares personal details of their relationship on his podcast, At Home With The Thomas Bros Credit: Unknown
She says: “We definitely have that conversation sometimes because I can see his little brain ticking away.
“I’m like ‘you’re making mental notes for the podcast. That’s absolutely not going on there!’ But me and Caroline [Adam’s wife ] always laugh saying ‘we’re better off just not listening to it.’ But sometimes you can’t get away from the clips because their social team is so good, they are everywhere.”
She added: “I think all the boys kind of know their boundaries. They do overshare but most of the time it’s really light-hearted and fun.
“I think the point of their podcast is just to make everyone smile because they have really good fun and they’re just trying to be themselves.”
Lucy, who’s partnered with Beyond Meat, has also found a way to get her own back on her fiance – by feeding him a plant-based burger and convincing him it was meat.
“I deceived Ryan a bit,” she laughs. “I gave him one of the Beyond Burgers years ago. He said it was delicious and I asked ‘did you notice anything different?’
“He replied ‘It was really nice. What did you do differently?’ I told him it’s plant-based. That’s a man thing, he wants the meat but he actually loves it. It’s become a staple in our house.”
Former Towie star Lucy also gave a glimpse into their home life, revealing the very different ways they approach cooking.
She says: “I don’t do all the cooking. Ryan is actually a better cook than me, but I cook more than he does so I did say maybe it’s time to change.
“The only issue we have is when Ryan cooks he uses every pot and pan and utensil in the entire kitchen and whereas when I cook he normally tidies up. I don’t really want to tidy that up so I’d rather do the cooking!”
Lucy Mecklenburgh has teamed up with Beyond Meat for the Beyond Busy: September Reset campaign. Explore the recipes here.
