08-06-2025
EXCLUSIVE Influencer who became the new Eat, Pray, Love poster girl splits from THIRD fiancé: Niomi Smart is back in a rented flat in UK after dream life in Bali followed by millions went sour
YouTube star Niomi Smart is rebuilding her life after splitting up with her fiance for good, MailOnline can reveal.
Friends told how the influencer - whose posts focusing on lifestyle, wellness and spirituality are followed by millions - is making a fresh start after parting with life coach Jamie White.
She's now moved into a new rented flat after spending a number of weeks living at her grandmother's home in Brighton, Sussex.
Niomi, who was 33 last week, has previously told how she believed the couple 'were meant to be together' and of her dreams of 'growing old' with Jamie.
Insiders insisted the split was 'amicable' but added that Niomi and Jamie were no longer in touch.
The couple split briefly for two and a half months at the start of 2024 before Niomi posted a gushing statement about how she and Irish-born Jamie were back together.
But their romance has not lasted and Niomi - who is thought to have earned nearly £2 million - is now said to be focusing on her career.
A source close to Niomi told MailOnline: 'They have split yes but they are still friends.
'I don't know what the reason for the split is. Niomi hasn't said and I haven't asked her.
'They split some time ago, a few months back. She and Jamie were engaged and split for the first time last year but then got back together again.
'But they're not in touch any more. She's not too upset about the split, it was amicable and she's concentrating on her career now.'
Niomi is known for her passion for healthy eating, yoga, and self-discovery.
She gained popularity through her 'What I Eat in a Day' YouTube series and is the author of the bestselling cookbook 'Eat Smart: What to Eat in a Day - Every Day'.
Her journey was influenced by personal experiences, including a period of healing and self-exploration that mirrored the themes of Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Eat Pray Love'.
She met Jamie in Bali in 2022 and they were engaged exactly a year later when Jamie surprised Niomi by popping the question at his family's home in Dublin on the day of their one-year anniversary.
Niomi had travelled to the Indonesian island to 'find herself' and learn Yoga and spent much of her time there with Jamie - travelling back and forward to the UK over a period of two-and-a-half years.
But she has no plans to return and at the beginning of the year the vlogger revealed to her 1.46million subscribers that she was temporarily living at her grandmother's house.
The content creator - who boasts of providing 'a space for heart-led living' and sharing her 'journey through life' with 'honesty, heart, and curiosity' - went on to reveal she was making 'a fresh start' with 'new beginnings'.
In one post last month, Niomi went on to reveal she was packing up all her possessions as she was preparing to move into her new flat two days after running the Brighton Marathon.
She did not reveal the split in the post and, in line with her upbeat delivery style, Niomi was putting a positive spin on her latest upheaval - despite admitting she was 'tired of moving'.
Niomi said: 'I've moved so many times in my life. I'm tired of it, honestly - I'm tired. I'm tired of moving. I just want to create a home now and ,yeah, just stay grounded.'
But she added: 'This feels really exciting. It feels like I'm taking that step towards creating my own space for a while.
'Literally everything is happening at once. You can have a really quiet few months, even years, and then suddenly everything changes, everything happens at once. 'I think it's a good thing. I think I'd rather it was that way. I'm actually pretty good with change. I like change. I'm a Gemini so I, like, adapt fast.'
In another video Niomi spoke of the 'massive transition phase' she was going through, once again without speaking directly of her split.
She described how she had been enjoying her 'solitude' and 'alone time' adding: 'It's really not where I expected I would be at 32.
'We often have these expectations for ourselves, but also that other people may put on us, of where we should be at a certain time and age.
'A massive part of my journey has actually been stepping away from that mindset and recognising that we're all on our own unique path and there's no need to put so much pressure on ourselves to have so much by a certain time.
'Having said that I do feel this feeling of Wow - I'm 32 years old. I don't have any children. I'm not married. I'm temporarily living in my grandma's house, which is beautiful, so there's no complaints there, but nonetheless I'm staying in my grandma's house. I don't have my own space like my own little sacred home.'
She added: 'It's an interesting feeling to be a woman in your 30's, to not be doing what is necessarily expected of you in society and to not have it all figured out.
'I don't have it all figured out. I'm really taking it step by step. I have no idea what the future holds.
'I have dreams, I have visions, of course. I know what I want but we can never be so sure and life is full of twists and turns and challenges and we never know really what's round the corner. 'I'm at an age where I feel like a lot of my friends do have it all figured out, it's so lovely to see but I'm so far from it.
'A lot of my friends are married, a lot of my friends are pregnant, a lot of my friends have children, more than one. They have their homes and I feel so far from that.'
But Niomi insisted she was enjoying her 'life journey' and felt 'incredibly grateful for where I am'.
Niomi, who also has 1.2 million Instagram followers, was one of the original influencers who started posting videos on YouTube in 2011.
She was privately educated and had planned to become a lawyer after gaining a law degree from the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Niomi worked in an upmarket shoe shop to help pay her way through university and carried on there after she finished her studies.
But she gave it up around a year later - when she started to earn more from blogging. As well as pocketing a huge income from her wellness and yoga videos which also feature eco fashion and beauty posts and Niomi cooking up vegan dishes, the entrepreneurial influencer went on to launch her own vegan skincare range and published a best selling cookbook called Eat Smart.
Niomi also went into business supplying healthy snacks with childhood sweetheart and former YouTuber Marcus Butler, also 33, who she met at private school Shoreham College which they both attended.
It was Butler - who attracted more than four million subscribers from around the world after he began posting on YouTube in 2010 - who first encouraged Niomi to use the platform.
The pair went on to become two of the world's most influential bloggers who were known as YouTube's 'golden couple'.
Their millions of followers were left reeling when Marcus announced their split in December 2015.
He posted a clip on the platform called 'What's Going On?' - describing it as 'probably the hardest video he has had to make'.
Marcus said: 'I'm sure a lot of you are aware, that me and Niomi, over the last month to six weeks haven't been spending a lot of time together publicly and also privately. 'As of right now, Niomi and I - we're not together.
We've both found separate places to live. 'I found mine already and am in my new place, Niomi is moving very soon.
'The last month to two months have been very tough for both of us. Obviously, going through something in a personal relationship is a very hard thing to do, let alone when you publicise your relationship.
'It just makes it that whole little bit more complicated. It's s***. It's really s***.'
Niomi went on to post on Twitter: 'I can confirm that unfortunately Marcus and I have decided to separate. The support that we've already received has been overwhelming and I'm forever grateful to have the support of my friends and family.'
After the split, the couple stressed they would continue to work as business partners saying they were 'incredibly passionate' about the SnackedBox brand.
The following year Niomi began dating Joe Woodward, the son of former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward.
She was introduced to 'Dreamy Joe' after her best friend met him on a blind date but decided he would be the perfect match for Niomi.
Niomi once told how her friend 'very sneakily' set up drinks with Joe and they 'just clicked'.
She has told how Joe had to ' google ' vegan to ensure he didn't ruin their early dates.
Niomi said: 'When we first met he knew what it meant but for our first few dates he had to Google exactly what it was that I do and don't eat so that he could pick the best place for us to go.'
At the time, Joe was working for XIX Entertainment, the group behind the Spice Girls, American Idol and David and Victoria Beckham and the couple set up home together in trendy Notting Hill in London.
They got engaged in 2019 but eagle-eyed fans noticed months later Niomi was no longer wearing her emerald engagement ring.
Niomi confirmed the pair had split in a video uploaded on her social media channels in September 2020, saying: 'Unfortunately Joe and I have separated.
'I know it will come as a huge shock to you but the past four years have been magical, so full of love and I have absolutely no regrets about the past.
'Even though not everything has gone exactly to plan for Joe and I, I just feel like everything is meant to happen for a reason, this is life's funny way of putting us back on the right path.
'Even though I felt I was right at the time, I was on the wrong path and now I've been put on the right one.'
Niomi found love again after meeting Jamie in a cafe in Bali in 2022. She has previously told how she instantly noticed Jamie's 'infectious smile'.
Their relationship blossomed and the couple co-hosted a podcast called The University of Life in which they discussed what they had learned together during their relationship.
Niomi once wrote on Jamie's birthday: 'You have an incredible ability to put a smile on anyone's face wherever you are, whether in an airport singing away or dancing down the street.
'You make so many people's days (including strangers) by giving them time, seeing them, hearing them, with such care and respect.
'I feel blessed to be with you, to share our worlds together, and to have created not only a beautiful love, but a beautiful friendship.'
As a student, former nightclub promoter Jamie was at the centre of controversy after he organised the 'knickers for liquor' event in Dublin in 2011 - which campaigners deemed 'exploitative'.
Women attending the night out were told they could get a free drink in exchange for their underwear.
At the time, Rape Crisis Centre hit out at the event - which took place at a nightclub where a woman reported being sexually attacked just three months earlier.
Defending the event, Jamie said at the time: 'Although the venue is the same, the management, age profile and promoters are entirely different.
'It went down well. There was a positive response - not a huge amount took part, but those who did take part did so in good fashion.'
When the couple got engaged in May 2023, Niomi announced the good news on Instagram - posting a video of the moment Jamie got down on one knee.
She told how she thought she was going for a regular Sunday lunch at Jamie's parents house and was shocked when he proposed - but had no hesitation in saying 'yes'.
Alongside the video, Niomi wrote: 'My heart feels so full I can't put into words how much love I feel.
'Soon after first meeting we said we felt like we'd been magnetised to one another. It was serendipity. Like we were meant to be together.
'I do believe the universe has a plan for all of us, and there's no doubt in my mind that something bigger than us brought us together. You're my gift, and I am yours. Love always wins.
'What I thought was a Sunday lunch at Jamie's parents' house turned out to be the biggest day of our lives together (so far!). And how special to have shared this moment with both our families.
'I can't wait to grow old with you! PS. Happy one year anniversary.'
But by February last year, fans began questioning whether the couple were still together after Niomi erased all trace of Jamie from her Instagram feed.
On Valentine's Day, Niomi confirmed the split in a personal essay she wrote for a magazine in which she said she no longer wanted 'external love to be a source of self-validation and worth'.
Declining to delve into the details, the star simply wrote: 'Our hearts never lie, but the problem is they speak softly and subtly in comparison to our feisty and loud heads, and consequentially, these soft whispers are often ignored or deafened as a result.'
Then in May last year, Niomi announced she and Jamie had reconciled in an Instagram Stories post alongside a black-and-white photo of the couple holding hands.
Confirming she was wearing her diamond engagement ring once again, Niomi wrote: 'After two and a half months apart, we came to the realisation that we are simply meant to be together.
'The distance was necessary on both sides to learn valuable lessons.'
Giving insight into their relationship Niomi continued: 'We feel we've come back stronger, knowing ourselves better and appreciating each other all the more.
'What a rollercoaster life can be! In the end, love always wins.'
Now it would appear the rollercoaster has taken a turn in a different direction.
