Few actuality TV {couples} have captured the nations consideration fairly like Molly Smith and Tom Clare. After profitable the very first sequence of Love Island: All Stars in 2024, their whirlwind villa romance changed into a real-world love story – and now, an engagement!
However they’re not simply planning their large day alone – they’re inviting the general public alongside for the journey.
The couple are stepping right into a brand-new chapter because the hosts of Nearlyweds with Molly & Tom, the connection podcast initially fronted by Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo. Swapping solar loungers for studio mics, Molly and Tom are inviting listeners inside their journey from actuality TV sweethearts to real-life fiancés – sharing the highs, the trustworthy moments, and every part in between as they put together for married life.
As they take over the reins, we sit down with the Love Island legends to speak engagement life, navigating love within the public eye, and what followers can count on from this new period of Nearlyweds…
Molly and Tom, congratulations in your engagement! Given how a lot of your lives play out within the public eye, if you strip away the social media gloss and the hype round your relationship, how does it really feel to be engaged? It’s such a big, real-life milestone.
Molly: It feels superb! It’s such an exquisite feeling understanding you’ve discovered your without end individual.
Tom: We really feel actually fortunate – fortunate to have discovered one another, and fortunate to be as pleased as we’re collectively, as a result of not everyone will get to expertise the sort of love now we have for one another, and that really makes me really feel actually unhappy, as a result of I would like everybody to have what now we have.
Molly: We’re so grateful to be doing life collectively aren’t we?
Tom: Completely! We’re using the wave, and having fun with being in an engagement bubble.
Rising up, was marriage one thing you each all the time dreamed of or imagined for yourselves?
Tom: If I stated ‘no’ – Molly would kill me (laughs).
Molly: TOM! Personally, I’ve all the time envisioned getting married, and having that basis of a husband and a household at house. And regardless of him joking round now, I do know that’s what Tom needs too, as a result of it’s one thing he’s all the time talked about and been very trustworthy about.
Tom: We’re each lucky in the truth that we grew up with our dad and mom being collectively, so in a means you’ll be able to’t assist however have a look at that and never need the identical in your personal life. To fulfill somebody and have a household with them is 100% one thing I’ve all the time dreamed of.
How has being engaged modified the dynamic of your relationship, if in any respect?
Molly: Between the 2 of us, how we stay and the way we handle our day after day lives, I don’t assume something’s modified that a lot to be trustworthy with you.
Tom: Besides the truth that Molly does every part with left hand now…
Molly: (laughs) yeah I’m unexpectedly left handed girlie now he’s put a hoop on it! If something has modified in our relationship, I’d say it’s simply the truth that there’s this new stage of pleasure between us, as we begin to plan the marriage, and picture what the times going to be like.
Tom: An engagement undoubtedly solidifies the standing of a relationship doesn’t it? It’s an enormous step ahead, as you’re making an actual dedication to at least one one other, and saying that you simply’re critical about being collectively without end, which I personally actually like. I needed Molly to know that this was it, and that I used to be all in… and I needed to place a hoop on her finger.
It’s been six months since Tom’s epic proposal, and your schedules appear busier than ever – why did this really feel like the appropriate second to step in and take the reins of the Nearlyweds podcast?
Molly: I believe the timing is ideal, I actually do. When the concept was first put to us, we each say ‘sure’ instantly! It’s an excellent alternative, and we’d have been loopy to have turned it down.
Tom: We each actually love Jamie and Sophie. It was really Jamie who reached out and requested us personally if we needed to do it, and we actually couldn’t consider it, as a result of truthfully it’s a podcast we take heed to lots once we’re driving forwards and backwards to London.
Molly: It was fairly overwhelming at first wasn’t it? Like Tom stated, we’re such large followers of the podcast, I imply I bear in mind us attempting to get tickets for the stay tour (laughs). So it’s very surreal to assume we’re the brand new ‘nearlyweds’.
Tom: However we’re not in any means, form or type taking on or changing Sophie and Jamie, we’re simply approaching board to share our story.
When it comes to the general really feel of the pod, are you going for extra of a “no filter” vibe, or are their sure components of your relationship you wish to shield and hold personal?
Tom: I believe there are facets to each relationship that you simply prefer to hold personal, after all! However by way of what we share and say on the podcast… it’s very uncooked! As a result of in addition to speaking in regards to the engagement, and the marriage, we additionally talk about all the different issues occurring in our lives as properly, so there are moments when now we have to ‘go there’ and get just a little bit critical. However total I’d say there’s a superb stability of overlaying the nice instances, the unhealthy instances, the pleased instances, and the instances if you perhaps fall out… it’s all in there. I like that although, as a result of that’s actual life, that’s actuality! Social media has made it tough for individuals to know that I believe. Individuals prefer to publish a snapshot of their lives on-line that solely captures the nice, and that isn’t a real reflection of how anyones life is. So I like that we’re exhibiting a unique aspect to our lives and personalities.
Molly: We each come from a actuality background, I imply… the beginning of our relationship was on proven on nationwide TV (laughs) so I believe at this level we’re each fairly used to sharing most issues. As people, and as a pair we have been very open and uncooked throughout our time on the present (Love Island), so my feeling is, why not proceed with that honesty on the podcast? It’s good to provide those that perception.
You could have such an excellent, and distinctive story to inform…
Molly: We love that our journey collectively has been captured and documented from the start. It’s like a pleasant little time capsule that we’ll have the ability to hold without end. Sooner or later, if we do have youngsters, we’ll have the ability to sit them down and present them how we met… really I don’t know if we’ll wish to do that may we?
Tom: Oh I’ll! Our youngsters are going to look at every part!
‘Nearlyweds’ is all about giving listeners a window into your world and exhibiting what planning a marriage is admittedly like. So, let’s get straight to the vital query: are you laid-back planners, or are you already buried deep in Pinterest boards and spreadsheets?
Tom: I believe we’re a little bit of each… don’t you?
Molly: Yeah I believe so! We stability one another out, so if I’m ever going off on one, Tom can calm me down and vice versa.
What do you hope listeners take away from the pod?
Molly: That planning a marriage isn’t all the time simple, excellent or glamorous. You possibly can’t all the time get or have what you need, and that’s okay. We’ve actually tried to be as uncooked and trustworthy as doable. The truth is, that is the primary time both of us has ever deliberate a marriage, and so we don’t actually know what we’re doing! There’s lots to navigate, and also you come up in opposition to issues on a regular basis that you simply wouldn’t think about being an issue… however they’re (laughs). So we’re studying lots, and we’re hoping that anyone on the market who’s planning a marriage themselves, listens and may relate… and perhaps be taught from a few of our errors.
Marriage is all about two individuals coming collectively as one, so I’m curious – what have been these first conversations like if you began discussing the sort of marriage ceremony you needed? Did your visions differ in any respect?
Molly: Are you aware what? On the entire I’d say, up to now, so good… however we’ve clearly nonetheless received lots of planning and work to do, so who is aware of, in just a few weeks time we’d hit just a few hindrances! Don’t get me flawed although, it’s not all been plain crusing, and there have been just a few little issues we’ve disagreed on that we speak about on the podcast…
Tom: Just one or two (laughs). For me personally, I don’t know if I’d ever actually had a imaginative and prescient for a way I needed my marriage ceremony to be. Now I’m planning it, I’m realising there’s lots to think about. I say it on a regular basis on podcast, I believe it’s good to have a lady’s enter and contact on issues, as a result of I don’t know if lots of guys take into consideration all the small particulars that may actually make a day that additional bit particular.
Molly: I believe it’s good if no less than one individual within the relationship has a little bit of a imaginative and prescient, as a result of if neither of you do, you then’re just a little bit screwed (laughs).
On the subject of guaranteeing choices or managing the finances, do you ever have to drag one another again if one among you will get just a little too carried away?
Tom: The easy reply to this query is… sure!
Molly: I’d say I’m extra a let’s do it and take into consideration the results (and the price of issues) later sort of individual, so…
Tom: Yeah Molly’s actually good at woman math, and never so good on the sort of maths we have been taught at school.
Molly: The woman math ain’t mathing generally I’ll admit (laughs). Tom’s simply extra of a realist than me…
Tom: …yeah, as a result of I see what’s going out of our joint checking account (laughs).
Have you ever discovered something new about one another all through this complete marriage ceremony planning course of?
Tom: We’ve undoubtedly learnt that we’re each perfectionists! We mull over very single element, regardless of how tiny, to the purpose the place it’s ridiculous! However it’s solely as a result of we wish the day itself to be excellent. Clearly, the marriage is about me and Molly, however we wish everyone there to really feel like they’re part of it too, so now we have to get issues proper.
Molly: It’s shocked me just a little bit at how chilled we’re about sure issues although! I assumed we’d get far more confused about stuff… however I suppose it’s nonetheless early days isn’t it? The stress and the dramas would possibly nonetheless be incoming (laughs).
Are you able to give us any hints in regards to the marriage ceremony vibe – large and glamorous or intimate and relaxed?
Tom: It’s going to be a little bit of every part…
Molly: …yeah, it should hopefully be an actual combination of massive and small moments.
With out giving an evidence, who’s extra hands-on with the planning?
Molly: Me.
Tom: Yeah, she’s the boss!
Who’s extra prone to sneak a chunk of marriage ceremony cake earlier than the official cake-cutting ceremony?
Molly: Tom!
Tom: Yeah, if there have been ever to be an enormous chunk of cake lacking, it’s in all probability me who’s reduce into it!
Molly: That’s high-quality… so long as you are taking a chunk from the again! Please don’t reduce into it on the entrance, and damage the images.
After dinner speeches – ought to they be heartfelt and conventional? Or scandalous and outrageous?
Tom: BOTH!
Molly: Oh no means! You need there to be scandalous and outrageous speeches at our marriage ceremony?
Tom: Yeah, however blended in with good bits too!
Molly: Oh no, I’d moderately they be a bit extra heartfelt and romantic.
If you happen to may have one artist or band play on the reception who wouldn’t it be?
Molly: Bruno Mars!
Tom: That’s a superb shout! However I’m going to say Jason Derulo, as a result of we went to see just a few weeks in the past and he was sick!
Molly: Yeah, he was superb wasn’t he?.. however I don’t fairly know if what he does is marriage ceremony applicable although? Possibly if he comes with out his dancers and simply sings then it is perhaps okay (laughs).
Have you ever picked the tune in your first dance but?
Molly: No. We’ve received just a few choices on the minute, however we’ve not absolutely determined what it is going to be but, we have to slender the checklist down…
Tom: What are you speaking about, it’s going to be The Excessive College Musical theme tune! No, I’m solely kidding. We’ve had just a few listens of some choices on Spotify, and we’ve put a little bit of a playlist collectively, however no choices have been made about that but.
Molly: There’s nonetheless time for a brand new tune to return out isn’t there? No matter we select I’m certain it is going to be excellent.
Will we see any of your marriage ceremony journey documented in different methods except for the pod?
Molly: Effectively, Tom needs to take a GoPro on his stag do… and I’m all for it to trustworthy!
Tom: Are you able to think about having to look at that footage again!
Molly: Effectively you’ve stated it now…
Tom: Erm… altering the topic! I believe there’s a plan for us to movie some vlogs that may go up on the ‘Nearlyweds’ social channels, so I believe that shall be enjoyable and entertaining for individuals to look at. Aside from that, we’ll simply have to attend and see…
Nearlyweds with Molly and Tom is out third March on YouTube and all podcast platforms
Tell us your ideas on Molly and Tom over on CelebMix socials now!
