Back when reality series Made In Chelsea was primetime television in 2011, Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor starred in what would quickly became the show’s most iconic moment.
In a scene filmed at a bar, a furious Millie had just discovered Hugo had been cheating on her with her best friend, Rosie Fortescue, and in true reality TV style, she exacted her revenge by throwing a drink in his face.
Despite the almighty fallout, the pair reconiled and went on to marry seven years later – albeit after Millie’s ill-fated marriage to rapper Professor Green.
Their ability to move on from their turbulent past proved testament to their relationship, which later produced two daughters – Sienna, five, and Aurelia, four – as well as a newly renovated dream home in west London.
But while winning back the heiress after an epic cheating scandal – and a wine-drenched humiliation – was no small feat for Hugo, it was nothing compared with his next major test: Millie’s rebrand. And this time, there was no way back for Hugo.
Over the past 12 months Millie, 36, has undergone a dramatic transformation, re-evaluating her career, lifestyle and health – and, most painfully, her second marriage to Hugo, which I revealed this week had ended after seven years.
Insiders close to the former couple, who first got together as teenagers, say they had long feared the split was coming. As Millie set out on a mission to turn her life around and shed anything holding her back, Hugo, 39, was left ‘a sitting duck’.
Millie Mackintosh and Hugo Taylor’s wedding in West Sussex in 2018
The famous scene from Made in Chelsea, when Millie throws a drink in Hugo’s face
A friend told me: ‘Millie has overcome so many personal struggles.
‘In the past two years, she’s received an ADHD diagnosis, addressed her problematic relationship with alcohol, a xanax addiction, and battled severe anxiety and panic attacks.
‘She has done a lot of reflecting on her former life and now feels fully comfortable in her own skin, having finally shed her party-girl mask.
‘But she’s come out the other side stronger – and with a razor-sharp focus she’s never had before.
‘She’s determined to kick-start a new chapter, and many say it was Millie who ultimately wanted to walk away from the marriage.’
They added: ‘While the split is deeply affecting Millie, she feels it is the right decision for them both moving forward.
‘All the couple’s focus is on trying to figure out the best way forward for the children.
‘They only broke up a few weeks ago, it’s still so new and so raw. Right now it’s difficult for them to process it all.’
Millie overcame the heartbreak of her split by attending a luxury wellness retreat in India, designed to reset the nervous system and spark new beginnings. Meanwhile, Hugo was miles away on a skiing holiday.
She removed her wedding ring and shared a defiant quote on Instagram: ‘And then the moon said to me. Dear girl, it’s time to own your f***ing power.’
So what now for Millie? Some have speculated that a reconciliation with her ex-husband Professor Green might be on the cards, since he’s single again.
But that’s not happening. The exes have indeed been back in touch, bonding over their shared ADHD diagnoses, but Millie has no interest in going backwards.
She returned to the spotlight this week by making her first podcast appearance since the separation was confirmed.
And during her in-depth interview on Rise with Roxie, released on Monday, she spoke of her life-changing year.
She said: ‘I feel like the last year has been really, really transformative and it’s been really about stepping into who I am and really accepting myself and also really like putting stricter boundaries in place, saying no to anything that just doesn’t feel like it’s adding to my life or anything that’s like just weighing me down or anything else that’s holding me back.’
Millie got back together with Hugo after her marriage to rap star Professor Green ended
She’s been true to her word, as Hugo knows all too well. If there’s one person who knows how he is feeling, it’ll be Millie’s former manager, Donna Rooney.
Last November, she and Donna parted ways after a decade together, despite being so close that Millie had made her godmother to her eldest daughter – in a split that included a brutal Instagram unfollow.
She has now signed with management company YMU, home to stars including Ant and Dec and Claudia Winkleman, and joined PR agency Dundas Communications, known for guiding female talent into Strictly Come Dancing, including Helen Skelton, Angela Scanlon and, most recently, Vicky Pattison.
Sources close to Millie say she is already being lined up for the BBC One show, as she aims to reconnect with a new audience and move past her reality TV roots.
They told me: ‘Millie is dreaming big – she wants to make a real go of her career and raise her profile.
‘After years of turning down major TV offers, she’s now hugely ambitious. This is her moment, and she’s determined to seize every opportunity. She’s excited for what’s ahead.’
As someone who has known Millie for over a decade, I have seen the real woman behind her Made In Chelsea persona. Off-screen, she is nothing like the fiery primadonna fans saw on the show.
I remember fondly having our make-up done next to each other three days in a row during the launch week of Dubai’s Atlantis The Royal hotel in January 2023. She spoke about her daughters with immense pride and told me she was ‘born to be a mother to girls’.
She even had the courtesy to come to my rescue, alongside Hugo, during the most traumatic moment of my career, when I fell backwards into a water feature at the Atlantis. I was drenched and utterly mortified. She really didn’t need to, but it showed her caring side.
Friends say that this aspect of her personality hasn’t changed. Which is why both she and Hugo are currently focused on ensuring their daughters are not affected by the split and continue to feel loved and supported.
The last time I saw Hugo was in March last year during a recording of the podcast Private Parts, hosted by former Made In Chelsea star Olivia Bentley, in which he owns shares and I appeared as a guest.
Ironically, I was discussing on the podcast how much I’m drawn to break-up stories, having recently revealed the split between two other Made in Chelsea stars, Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott.
At the time, Hugo insisted it could never happen to him and Millie, speaking lovingly about how much he adored her. In hindsight, he was painfully naive.
