Made In Chelsea, Friendship Feuds And A Near-Death Experience - Sam Vanderpump Opens Up
He may enjoy stirring up the drama on Made In Chelsea, but off-screen, Sam Vanderpump is a lot more serious. The 28-year-old entrepreneur is the founder of currency exchange brokerage Vanderpump FX and is managing director of finance app Dapio.
Sam – who's the nephew of US reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump – is engaged to Alice Yaxley, whom he's been dating since July 2024. He proposed to the 23-year-old model, following his near-death experience with sepsis last year. This week, he sat down with Grazia to talk all things weddings, Made in Chelsea and life as a Vanderpump...
It's an exciting time for you right now, with Made In Chelsea, wedding planning…
I feel like my life went from being very quiet to everything coming full speed all at once. A lot of stuff is going on with Made In Chelsea, the wedding and my business. I'm also planning on starting a podcast, so everything's suddenly become very busy.
Were you inspired to propose because of how supportive she had been throughout your sepsis ordeal?
From the moment I met Alice, I knew she was the girl I was going to marry. I've never felt like that before about anyone. She's the female version of me – she's perfect in every single way. The only thing my sepsis episode did was speed it up because it made me realise how quick things can be taken away from you and I didn't want to waste time. All I want is to have a fantastic relationship with my family, get married and have children.
Are you planning a big wedding?
At the moment, we're thinking around 160-170 close friends and family. It will be in 2027.
Who will you invite from Made In Chelsea?
Ooh, that list changes daily. [Laughs] Some days it's the whole cast and others, it's limited to just Alice!
Will Reza be your best man?
No. Reza and I are very, very close – we've known each other for ten years plus – but the roles of best man and groomsmen will go to my brother and people I've known for 25 plus years.
Would your aunt Lisa appear on Made In Chelsea?
I would love her to come on. It'd be great for people to see the massive role she plays in my life. She's that father figure role for me – she tells me what to do, how to say it and make sure I don't make any mistakes. The biggest thing she said to me at my dad's funeral was, 'Don't f*** it up'. Only time will tell, but there are currently no plans for her to appear.
Sam Vanderpump with his elder brother Jack and their aunt Lisa ©How are things going with Tristan [Phipps]?
Any plans to make amends?
I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.
What are your plans for Made In Chelsea?
At the moment, I enjoy doing Made In Chelsea. I love it, it's enjoyable and as long as it remains like that and my goals align with the show, I'll continue to do it. But who knows what the future holds. There are endless possibilities. Only time will tell.
Sam is an ambassador for The UK Sepsis Trust. See https://sepsistrust.org/ for more
Shereen Low is a senior news and entertainment writer for Grazia UK, who has covered some of the biggest showbiz news from the past decade.
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