Social media and WhatsApp went into meltdown this week when Love Island ’s golden couple - Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury - announced they’d split up after five years together.
For their loyal army of fans it was the worst possible end to the couple’s story, which began when Tommy (with the help of Molly-Mae’s stuffed teddy, Ellie Belly) asked his fellow Islander to be his girlfriend back in 2019. Five years on, the couple now share their daughter Bambi, and were - until very recently at least - engaged to be married.
But while the internet went into overdrive with unanswered questions and rumours about what happened - which included talk of a secret love child - we’ve been told at OK! that it was actually their different opinions on raising 18-month-old Bambi and a breakdown of trust.
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“Molly had done her best to try and save the relationship for Bambi’s sake but she really couldn’t get past everything that happened with Tommy last year,” they said. “The trust had completely gone and he didn’t do anything that convinced her to trust him again.
“Her friends and family have been very supportive and know that she has made the right decision.”
One source of last year's strife was no doubt Tommy’s boys’ trip to the UAE in December, five months after he popped the question in a surprise proposal on a stunning clifftop in Ibiza.
During a night out in Dubai, he was spotted with convicted felon and musician Chris Brown surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women.
Reports of Molly-Mae then hiding, or at least covering up, her engagement ring were rife following the trip, signalling the start of what then became months of speculation about the fact they were on the rocks - and fewer and fewer public declarations of devotion.
Despite the dwindling number of gushing posts, it seems Molly-Mae was equally shocked by the split, telling fans that “never in a million years did I think I’d ever have to write this”, referring to her 129-word breakup statement.
In it, she said she was “extremely upset” to announce the news, and that she “never imagined our story would end, especially not this way.”
Signing off with a temporary departure from her social media, the 25-year-old sent the internet into overdrive with speculation about what she meant by “this way”.
TikTok lit up with rumours that Tommy had fathered a baby with another woman - which were quickly shut down by the woman’s family, who called the speculation “crazy”. One report alleged that Molly-Mae was "crushed" after learning of accusations that Tommy had 'cheated' on her, and was "fully expecting" to be contacted by more women he'd slept with now that they'd broken up.
"Molly-Mae is now aware Tommy was unfaithful to her. She believes it has happened a number of times. It seems he would play away when he knew people wouldn’t recognise him," The Sun accusations state.
However, speaking exclusively to the Mirror, a spokesperson for Tommy strenuously denied the claims. They said: "Tommy is horrified by the false allegations of cheating being circulated by the media and he’s consulting his lawyers."
The boxer's own statement on the breakup came a few hours after Molly-Mae’s, and he penned that he was “heartbroken” at their decision, and thanked his ex “for making me a dad”.
Despite the ever-growing list of theories from internet sleuths, there are a few notable incidents, aside from Tommy’s Dubai trip, that have been brought up time and again.
In May, Molly-Mae didn't wish her fiancé a happy 25th birthday on her socials as she’d done in previous years, which only added to the talk of them living separate lives - something our source now says was accurate.
“They were leading completely separate lives and Molly realised that this was not what she wanted for her future,” they said. “Tommy still wanted to act like a young single man at times instead of a dad who was planning his wedding.”
Their differing opinions on raising Bambi was also a big contributor to their breakdown, our source claimed and as viewers of their Netflix series At Home With The Furys might have suspected.
The show, which focused on Tommy’s brother and sister-in-law, Tyson and Paris Fury, featured a few clashes between the pair, including one on the topic of educating Bambi (who was still in her mum’s tummy at the time).
Tommy, who was brought up in the Traveller community, said he would “most definitely” raise his daughter “the way I’ve been brought up, the old-fashioned way, the right way”.
Traditionally, girls leave full-time education after primary school, something which Molly-Mae categorically ruled out, saying education was “absolutely non-optional”, despite Tommy instigating conversations about the topic.
“I’ve been raised completely differently to that,” she said. “It would never be a question that our children would not go to school.”
Our source says as well as Bambi’s education, the number of children they wanted was also a sticking point. Their parenting balance has also been a hot topic, especially after Molly-Mae said earlier this month that she'd been "solo parenting for like, two weeks now, basically because Tommy's just been so busy", and said it was "intense".
“They clashed over having more children and the upbringing Bambi has – they are from different worlds and have different views,” they said.
“And moving to Manchester was a big thing for Molly, setting up her life there she felt she gave a lot up for Tommy, and she was the one who made all the compromises.
“But now she’d like to move back down south as a lot of her friends and family are there and she wants Bambi to have a similar upbringing to hers.”
After both asking for privacy, Molly-Mae and Tommy have avoided engaging with any of the internet speculation, and our source says they’re concentrating instead on Bambi.
“Molly-Mae wants things to remain amicable for Bambi and she knows Tommy is a good dad when he’s there but Molly couldn’t be unhappy.”
