She is the glamorous former Neighbours actress and pop star who married one of Britain’s top property tycoons and was, until recently, at the heart of a wealthy social circle that wielded influence on both sides of the Atlantic.
For years Holly Valance, 42, and her billionaire husband Nick Candy, 52, were regular fixtures at star-studded events such as Princess Eugenie‘s wedding and a glitzy election fundraiser for Donald Trump that Ms Valance herself hosted in London last year.
But since news broke of her split from Mr Candy, the Reform UK treasurer, in June this year, she has begun to keep very different company. As our exclusive pictures reveal, Ms Valance is increasingly spending time with hard-Right thug Tommy Robinson.
Last month, the mother-of-two joined Robinson on a luxury steam train trip, along with former actor and politician Laurence Fox and Mr Fox’s wife Elizabeth, who has frequently appeared on a podcast that peddles conspiracy theories.
A picture posted online by Mr Fox, the leader of the Reclaim Party, showed Ms Valance and Mrs Fox sprawled on a sofa in one of the train’s carriages. A laughing Robinson lounged nearby. A caption written by Mr Fox read: ‘It’s a bit early for that…’
A video on social media also showed the group enjoying breakfast as the train – named The Chairman’s Set and owned by City financier and major Reclaim donor Jeremy Hosking – left London.
While Ms Valance sipped a cup of tea, a grinning Mr Robinson said: ‘Good morning everybody. How are we?’
Ms Valance also took a selfie on the trip, with Robinson and the Foxes posing in the background.
A picture posted online by Mr Fox, the leader of the Reclaim Party, showed Ms Valance, Mrs Fox and Mr Robinson sprawled on a sofa in one of the train’s carriages
The mother-of-two joined Robinson on a luxury steam train trip, along with former actor and politician Laurence Fox and Mr Fox’s wife Elizabeth
Friends of Ms Valance last night told The Mail on Sunday that they are concerned that she and Robinson have grown close. They are said to be particularly troubled at the prospect of her two daughters, aged 12 and eight, spending any time in Robinson’s orbit.
Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has convictions for assault, mortgage fraud, using a false passport and multiple counts of contempt of court.
‘There is concern about Holly and her two girls,’ one friend of the former singer said. ‘Plenty of her friends are worried. The question is whether they [Ms Valance and Robinson] are romantically involved. Even if they are not having a romantic relationship, there is the fact that he has all of these convictions against him.’
Ms Valance, an Australian-British star who played Felicity ‘Flick’ Scully in Neighbours, was first pictured with Robinson in September during his ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally in London.
She was pictured wearing a ‘MEGA’ (Make England Great Again) hat and later praised the march, adding: ‘I’m very proud and pleased for Tommy – this is his redemption. Finally. How the man screaming from the rooftops about the rape of white British girls was framed as ‘the bad guy’ is going to be a case study.
‘How weak and immoral we have become. Our silence is immoral. [At the march] the lions came out.’
For years Ms Valance, whose £3 million wedding to Mr Candy in September 2012 in California featured a performance by Katy Perry, did not talk publicly about her political views.
But friends claim she has recently ‘gone down a [political] rabbit hole’.
‘She has gone too far down it,’ one source said. ‘It was the Covid stuff and the Republican stuff in America – the Maga [Make America Great Again] movement. It was a range of stuff. She is quite conspiracy theory-led.’
Mr Fox, who first rose to fame with his role in ITV drama Lewis, pictured with Mr Robinson
Ms Valance also took a selfie on the trip, with Robinson and the Foxes posing in the background
Laurence Fox, Katie Hopkins and Tommy Robinson (R) attend the Unite The Kingdom rally, held in September of this year
Robinson was once a member of the far-Right British National Party (BNP) and co-founded the English Defence League (EDL)
Mr Fox, who first rose to fame with his role in ITV drama Lewis, has since rebranded himself as a Right-wing commentator and politician who has run three unsuccessful election campaigns.
His wife Elizabeth described herself on Instagram as a model, body double and stuntwoman who was born in America but now lives in the UK. She has made many appearances on Elite Thinking Club, a podcast that touts itself as a ‘show dedicated to critical thinking’ but airs conspiracy theories including the idea that Princess Diana was murdered on the orders of the Queen.
Asked in an episode on the theory of evolution whether humans are descended from apes, she replied: ‘I think that’s what we’re made to believe and that is what we should be believing but… I think we come from another race.’
Responding to claims that she is a conspiracy theorist in June, she wrote on X: ‘Holding my own views is not a flaw, it’s a right. Not everyone thinks the same, nor are we meant to.’
Robinson was once a member of the far-Right British National Party (BNP) and co-founded the English Defence League (EDL).
In 2018, Sir Mark Rowley, who is now the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said Robinson had contributed to the radicalisation of Darren Osborne, who killed one man and injured several others near a mosque in Finsbury Park.
Ms Valance was contacted for comment.
