EX FILES
Sad truth about why Vogue Williams is desperate to ‘erase’ past marriage to Brian McFadden & refuses to mention his name
YOU may have forgotten that Vogue Williams was once married to Westlife singer Brian McFadden and at times so tries to forget too, with sources saying that the former model is desperate to erase that part of her life.
The Irish presenter, who is now happily married to Spencer Matthews, was married to pop star Brian from 2012 before finalising their divorce in 2017.
Vogue has previously revealed her divorce from Brian gave her crippling anxiety, often feeling “sick to the stomach” and having sleepless nights.
Now an insider has said that the I’m A Celebrity star, 40, has tried hard to distance herself her life before Made In Chelsea hubby Spencer, with sources saying she gets the “ick” when she thinks about her ex and is “embarrassed by that chapter in her life”.
Keen to avoid being labelled ‘Brian’s ex-wife’, Vogue reinvented herself post-divorce and created her own telly career, appearing on shows like The Jump in early 2017, where she met her now husband Spencer.
She has also starred on the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special in 2024 and had her own E4 docu-series in 2019 and 2021. Not forgetting her own award-winning podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me.
And now Vogue is busy mixing in more elite circles with royal links as Spencer’s brother is married to Kate Middleton’s sister Pippa.
A source told us: “I think she looks back on that marriage as a period she would rather forget – she wasn’t truly herself and didn’t really know herself then either.
“She was too young and impressionable and got swept away by Brian and his boyband fame and their marriage was a disaster.
“Vogue isn’t proud of it, she’s really icked out when she’s reminded that she married that bloke from Westlife.
“But also there was a lot going on in her life emotionally and, with hindsight, it’s not a chapter she has any desire to revisit.
“These days Vogue is hanging out with royalty and extremely rich people and she’s one of them now.
“Bringing up Brian takes her back to a place she would rather forget. It’s awkward and embarrassing for her.”
Over the years, Vogue has kept any mention to her ex-husband to a minimal, with a insider saying she’d “rather not go there”.
So when her and Spencer’s pal Jamie Laing brought Brian’s name up on his podcast, she was left shocked our insider said.
“She sees it as a mistake she’d rather leave in the past so she was quite upset when Jamie mentioned his name like he was still part of her life – it was a bit of a low blow actually and left her wondering why he did that when he knew how it would make her feel,” they shared.
“When the subject sometimes comes up, she tends to keep it brief because she prefers to focus on the life she’s built with Spencer.”
Vogue previously said that her marriage to Brian was a “mistake” after and said he was not “husband material”.
She wrote in her autobiography Big Mouth: “The morning of the wedding I felt very stressed and so anxious because deep down I knew I had made a mistake.”
She continued: “After the wedding I tried to make things work.
“The relationship wasn’t all terrible, we did have some great times too, and for the most part he was good fun to be around. But he was not husband material.”
Vogue added: “It was me who called it in the end. I couldn’t keep trying, it felt pointless… I’m not here to throw anyone under the bus but there are things that went on in our relationship that will never be forgiven.”
Her life has moved on drastically from her late 20s, where she once feared she would never have kids after getting a divorce at 31.
Vogue, who is pregnant with her fourth child with Spencer, also shares three kids Theodore, Gigi and Otto with the former E4 star.
In a bid to fully move on, Vogue has firmly put those years that she was with Brian behind her because it wasn’t her happiest time.
Our source said: “That era with Brian represents a difficult time in her life for a number of reasons.
“She’s incredibly happy with where she is now and doesn’t see much value in reopening old chapters.
“For her, that’s a story that’s already been told.
“Vogue has completely moved on emotionally – it’s about feeling disconnected from a version of herself she barely recognises anymore.
“She wasn’t in the best place at the time and when she reflects on those years now, it’s with the benefit of hindsight and a very different perspective.
“She doesn’t spend time looking backwards.
“Her focus is her family and her career and everything before that feels extremely distant – her and Brian haven’t spoken for over a decade or so now.
“He’s completely irrelevant to her.
“Vogue was clear with Jamie not to mention his name again.”
The Sun has reached out to reps for Vogue Williams for comment.
In 2018, the Irish pop star broke his silence on his ex wife’s first pregnancy.
Britain admitted that contact with Vogue was “pointless”.
He told Closer at the time “I don’t speak to Vogue any more either. It’s pointless.
“She’s married now and is having a baby.”
He added: “I am delighted for her and I hope she has a lovely family.
“(Spencer) is a great guy.”
Perhaps adding insult to injury, Brian went on to say that the thing he misses most about their three-year marriage is their dog.
He confessed: “Not getting to see the dog is the worst part of it. Winston was my best mate and we wouldn’t leave each other’s sides.
“Vogue and I were sharing the dog but that didn’t make sense any more and Danielle is allergic to dogs, so I gave him back to Vogue.”
Brian is now married to former PE teacher and lifestyle blogger Danielle Parkinson.
The couple, who share a daughter named Ruby born in 2021, tied the knot in July 2025 during a beach ceremony on the Cornish coast.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/39361175/vogue-williams-erases-marriage-brian-mcfadden/
