They had known each other for just 11 weeks, had already broken up once, and there were rumours she’d had to buy her own engagement ring.
So it’s safe to say that when Kelly Brook announced her wedding plans with former Gladiator David McIntosh in Hello! magazine, gushing that she wanted the ‘biggest dress’ with a ten-foot train, eyebrows were raised.
However, it wasn’t just the length of the relationship that led fans of the model to question the somewhat unlikely pairing.
The fitness fanatic was already father to two-year old son Logan with former partner Rachel Christie when he embarked on a tumultuous relationship with Kelly Brook in 2013.
McIntosh, an imposing Royal Marine Commando, initially crossed paths with Brook while attending a New Years Eve party at Steam & Rye, the ill-fated American-themed bar she once owned on London’s Leadenhall Street.
No stranger to celebrity romances, he’d previously enjoyed his own taste of fame after participating in a short-lived revival of Gladiators.
But it was a chaotic romance with Brook, established some four years after his departure from Gladiators, that earned him greater exposure – and an even bigger share of the spotlight
McIntosh had already enjoyed a fleeting taste of the spotlight before crossing paths with the presenter at a New Years Eve party, having featured on a short-lived relaunch of Gladiators
His love of bodybuilding, combined with an impressive military background ticked all the right boxes for enthusiastic Sky producers as they prepared to reboot the defunct ITV show for a millennial audience.
Given free reign to assert his obvious physicality, McIntosh – who had previously served in war-torn Afghanistan, Northern Ireland and Somalia with the Marines – featured as the imposing, lycra-clad Tornado across two series’ of the relaunched show.
Discussing his role in 2008, McIntosh – who was given 15-weeks leave from active duty in order to participate – told Boyz magazine: ‘I’m loving it. I can’t wait to get out there and give the contenders a serious whooping.’
A whirlwind romance with Danielle Lloyd ensued when the glamour model signed up for a celebrity version of Gladiators, before McIntosh hung up his Lycra in 2009.
But it was a chaotic relationship with Brook, established some four years after his departure from Gladiators, that earned him greater exposure – and a greater share of the spotlight.
Even the more disinterested of observers were surprised when McIntosh proposed to the presenter less than three months into their relationship – perhaps because Brook had already dumped him once, just two weeks earlier, and wiped all traces of him from her social media channels.
His role as Tornado on Gladiators led to a brief romance with Danielle Lloyd after she signed up for the celebrity version of the show (pictured together in 2008)
David McIntosh became a regular face on the party circuit thanks to his tumultuous relationship with Kelly Brook (pictured) The couple would ultimately split in 2014
According to The Sun, the then 34-year-old presenter was left ‘dumbstruck’ by his proposal – but took just ‘three seconds’ to accept.
A friend told the paper: ‘It’s still a closely guarded secret and came to Kelly as a massive shock.
‘But she’s at that time in her life now where she wants to make a commitment and she has fallen head over heels for David.’
Despite her willingness to commit, Brook would ultimately break it off just six months later after the former Gladiator was accused of cheating on her with ex Sarah Harper during their engagement.
Confirming the news in 2014, she tweeted: ‘It’s a sad day but I wanted to share with you that David and I are no longer engaged. I love and respect him and wish him all the best.’
According to The Sun, Brook warned Harper that McIntosh was ‘cruel and mean,’ adding: ‘I fell out of love with him a while ago. He is a needy, insecure man that will never treat a woman right.
The fitness fanatic was a father to two-year old son Logan with former partner Rachel Christie (pictured) when he met Brook in 2013
It would prove to be a short sigh, with adult movie veteran Gina Rodriguez (pictured) weighing in by claiming he sent her explicit messages on Facebook
After being dumped by Brook, McIntosh (third left) was romantically linked to a string of TV personalities, among them Jess Impiazzi (third right)
‘His cooking is s*** too. I won’t miss any of it. We both deserve better. He used you and me.’
Friends had previously told how Brook was growing tired of McIntosh and having second thoughts about their relationship before he was accused of cheating on her.
‘Kelly got tired of the relationship and David trying to hog the limelight,’ a source told The Sun. ‘She realised he was enjoying the fame a bit too much and wasn’t as serious about her as she thought.’
In a scathing interview with The Sun, Harper claimed the pair were involved in a drug-fuelled 10-month romance prior to him meeting Brook, much of it spent in a cocaine-induced ‘coma.’
She said: ‘In the ten months I was with David I spent £40,000 on cocaine and most of it went up his nose.
‘We were in a coke coma for months. Sometimes we would be in hotels for days and just forget where the hell we were. It was completely insane.’
Former Big Brother star Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace was also linked with the muscular hunk
McIntosh later claimed to have married Australian jewellery designer Juliet Bakos (pictured), only for it to end when they refused to compromise on what they wanted
McIntosh later denied any wrongdoing in a lengthy open letter, shared shortly after her allegations were published in 2014.
‘Before I began dating Kelly, I can confirm that Sarah and I did go on a handful of nights out together but it was NOT on a regular basis as was made out in today’s article,’ he wrote.
‘Our so-called ‘closeness’ lasted for about four months, after which her constant partying and (self-admitting) drug use grew very tiring.’
McIntosh was further compromised by a published photo of the fitness fanatic appearing to snort an unspecified white powder during a boozy night out – an incident he played down as a ‘bit of fun.’
‘Sarah often asked me to pose for silly pictures when I was drunk and, in today’s article in The Sun, there is a picture of me purportedly “posing” over what appears to be white powder on a table,’ he explained.
‘I did not take any drugs on the night that picture was taken and am very disappointed that Sarah has lied.
‘I merely (and in hindsight, very stupidly) posed for a “fun” picture at Sarah’s request. I was clearly intoxicated with alcohol in the picture and acted naively.’
He added: ‘As for Sarah’s other claim that I slept with her whilst with Kelly, it is 100% untrue and I categorically deny it.
‘I’m incredibly hurt and sickened by Sarah’s false accusations and believe she has done this out of jealousy and spite because she knows that, 1) I’m not interested in her romantically and 2) I only love and want Kelly.
‘I did not cheat on Kelly whatsoever! Kelly is my world and, other than my son, she’s the only person I’ve ever truly cared about in my life.
‘Whilst with Kelly, my text exchanges with Sarah were few and far between and there was never anything inappropriate, flirtatious or sexual in them, so it’s perfectly clear I’m innocent and kept everything with Sarah purely on a platonic level.’
There was also room for a thinly veiled criticism of Brook and her decision to break off their engagement.
‘I’m absolutely devastated that Sarah’s lies have caused Kelly to end our engagement but am even more deeply upset that the woman I thought loved me and was literally my life would not stand by me.
‘In a strange way though, there is a silver lining to all of this because at least now I can breathe a sigh of relief.’
In 2018, the former Gladiator returned to TV with a prominent role on ill-fated reality show Bromans (pictured)
His romance with Brook led to an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2014 (pictured)
Unfortunately for McIntosh it would prove to be a temporary reprieve, with adult movie veteran Gina Rodriguez weighing in by claiming he sent her explicit messages on Facebook – and rubbishing stories of an engagement to Brook.
Speaking to The Sunday Mirror, Rodriguez – who at the time performed under the name Demi Delia – claimed he indulged her with saucy banter after asking if she wanted him to ‘pose naked.’
A source close to McIntosh later claimed that the Facebook account used to maintain contact with Gina is fake.
‘David’s already been accused of treating Kelly badly once before,’ a source told the Sunday Mirror. ‘This is the last thing the pair of them need.’
A difficult year was rounded off by a court appearance in April 2014, during which he pleaded guilty to crashing a van load of dead badgers while on a controversial animal cull the previous September.
Just three months before crossing paths with Brook, the TV personality had been employed to take the dead creatures for disposal as part of the badger cull in Gloucestershire.
But as he drove his VW Transporter van to a furnace in the middle of the night, he swerved and smashed into a bus stop after falling asleep at the wheel.
Appearing at Stroud Crown Court in April 2014, McIntosh claimed to have lost control when a radio – which police used to pass on intelligence about the location of anti-cull protesters – fell under the brakes.
The former Gladiator’s devotion to personal fitness is evident in his recent Instagram content
These days McIntosh enjoys a more domesticated life away from the spotlight with a new partner and frequently shares family updates on Instagram
He admitted to driving without due care and attention and not having a valid licence.
The court heard McIntosh, of Altrincham, Cheshire, had managed to get the job as a driver despite having his licence for that class of vehicle suspended for running a red light in 2005.
He was fined £91, plus an additional £20 victim surcharge, £30 prosecution costs and given six penalty points.
Away from court and newly single, McIntosh would soon embark on a series of fresh romances, notably a relationship with Australian jewelry designer Juliet Bakos.
But the bitter fallout would cast a tall shadow over his subsequent relationships and eventually lead to him sharing a series of abusive messages, purportedly sent by Brook about Bakos.
A source told The Sun: ‘Kelly said even more offensive things to David but for Juliet’s sake he didn’t make them public. He doesn’t understand why Kelly is even interested in his life any more.
‘She is the one who dumped him, then begged him to come back, only so she could dump him again. For some reason she hates the thought of him with other women but doesn’t actually want to be with him.’
The posts included Brook allegedly ranting about Bakos, writing: ‘the weave? the dress? as long as she is buying you s**t and you have a place to stay, all can be overlooked. lol.’
Additional messages include pointed references to TV personalities Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and Jess Impiazzi, with whom McIntosh had also been romantically connected.
Speaking to MailOnline in 2018, McIntosh claimed his experience with Brook has given him a thick skin – and he holds no grudges
Despite protesting his innocence, the former Gladiator later admitted that he was incapable of remaining faithful.
Appearing on American dating show Famously Single in 2017, he said: ‘When I get into a relationship it is all about being faithful 100 percent, but what are you going to do when you’re partying and you’re drunk and you’ve got a plethora of delicious beautiful women coming on to you?
‘You think you are not going to get caught. The girls gravitate to me. I can’t help it. I was born like this. I get a lot of women throw themselves at me. They are a sucker for abs and a good jawline.’
McIntosh also claimed he’d secretly exchanged vows with Bakos before taking part in Famously Single, only for the marriage to end because they refused to compromise on what they wanted out of life.
‘Yeah, I was married to Juliet. [We were married for] a year. We were together for two. [We split up] about five for six months before I filmed the show,’ he said.
‘It was just differences. She didn’t want me travelling for work. She didn’t want me to go to America. She wanted me to do some nine-to-five job, and that isn’t me. I wasn’t ready to retire in Australia.’
These days McIntosh enjoys a more domesticated life away from the spotlight with a new partner and frequently shares family updates on Instagram – where he refers to himself as ‘King David.’
A cursory glance at his Instagram profile reveals an assortment of obligatory gym selfies and fitness videos, the musclebound former Marine is pictured enjoying tropical family holidays and outdoor adventures.
For the casual observer, there’s little to suggest his life is anything more than that of a domesticated father, and nothing to remind us of the colourful journey he took before finally settling down.
He also appears to have welcomed two more children with his partner, who features in family photos but hasn’t been named, with recent updates capturing McIntosh alongside his young daughter.
Despite everything, McIntosh claimed his toxic relationship with Brook helped him develop a thick skin and learn to accept the benefits if being single.
‘I don’t need anyone else to tell me what I can do,’ he told MailOnline in 2018. ‘This just helps me deliver my message. I don’t care about what people say or think I’ve done.
‘I care about how people develop. I care about giving a message to people who need a message.
‘It’s what people like to read but now it’s time to sweep all that under the carpet. I don’t hold grudges.’
