The problem with having a sister so close in age – 11 months, to be exact – is that you’re always going to be comparing yourself. Just ask Samantha Faiers: for the most part, she and her ever-so-slightly senior sis Billie Faiers are neck-and-neck.
Both are happily settled in fab, lavish homes with a son and daughter apiece, plus massive telly and brand deals behind them. But when it comes to throwing parties, Billie’s winning by an absolute landslide. And now that Samantha’s long-awaited 30th is fast approaching, ongoing restrictions and virus uncertainty mean it’s almost impossible to prepare for an epic birthday party to match Billie’s. Which – in a family where parties mean everything – is pretty damn devastating.
“Sam has been planning for her 30th for the past few years and had wanted to throw a huge party for all her friends and family as it falls on New Year’s Eve,” says an insider close to the Mummy Diaries star, who pulled out all the stops earlier this year to give her older sis the 30th of her dreams.
Check out: OG TOWIE stars then and now
heat TOWIE stars then and now stacked
1 of 20Lauren Goodger in 2011
Lauren Goodger takes on the red carpet at Essex Fashion Week back in 2011, a year after the show launched. Stripes and fake tan for days.
2 of 20THE GLOW UP - Lauren Goodger now
Oh YASS, the glow up is real.Check out Lauren Goodger in 2018. We don't know what magical moisturiser she is using but we are well jel - she looks younger. She briefly returned to TOWIE and has since launched her tanning brand LG Tan.
3 of 20Harry Derbidge in 2010
TOWIE's sweet heart and cousin to TOWIE royalty, Amy Childs, at the afterparty of a film premiere. Looking so young and fresh faced.
4 of 20THE GLOW UP - Harry Derbidge now
After quitting the show TWICE in 2014 (so, extra) he followed in his cousin Amy Childs' footsteps and opened his own boutique which later closed down. Now, he is a social media influencer and make-up artist and slaying the game. He has also announced his adoption plans with his fiancé Dean Rowland.
5 of 20Gemma Collins in 2011
Do you remember when she was a brunette? Yeah, no one does.
6 of 20THE GLOW UP - Gemma Collins now
"So, girls"She later ditched the bangs, the brunette hair and the excessive tan.After becoming TOWIE's most meme'ed star, she's launched her own TV show Diva Forever, dropped a podcast and she continues to be in an on/off relationship with James 'Arg' Argent.
7 of 20Amy Childs in 2010
Amy Childs in her signature red hair back in 2010 - on the red carpet for the launch of The Only Way Is Essex.
8 of 20THE GLOW UP - Amy Childs now
After being the first one to quit the show, she stormed the showbiz world with her own reality TV show, starred in Celebrity Big Brother and she is now reported to be worth over £5 million. She's also a mum to Polly and Rich.
9 of 20Mark Wright in 2011
Other than being an immediate TOWIE heartthrob / major palyer, he also used to model early on in his career.
10 of 20THE GLOW UP - Mark Wright now
Mark is now happily married to Michelle Keegan. He has his own radio show, he used to be the face of Take Me Out: The Gossip and he ventured across the pond to work with Mario Lopez on Extra.
11 of 20James 'Arg' Argent in 2011
This is what he looked like in 2011, a year after TOWIE launched.
12 of 20THE GLOW UP - James Argent now
Following his break-up from his on screen love, Lydia Bright, he took sometime off from TOWIE. He appeared on and off for a number of series but in 2020 he opened up about his cocaine addiction and eating disorder. He is now in an on/off relationship with Gemma Collins.
13 of 20Lydia Bright in 2011
Lydia opened her own boutique as soon as she joined TOWIE. She left the show after major drama with co-stars James Argent and Gemma Collins.
14 of 20THE GLOW UP - Lydia Bright now
Lydia's now mum to a little girl, Loretta.
15 of 20Sam Faiers in 2010
Quintessential Essex glamour is the best way to describe this picture but she definitely wins the best glow up...
16 of 20THE GLOW UP - Sam Faiers now
She 100% glowed up the most. Her life changed drastically since she first appeared on TOWIE. After leaving the show, she became a mother to Paul and Rosie. She followed Amy Childs' footsteps and joined Celebrity Big Brother and she has her own show The Mummy Diaries. You go girl.
17 of 20Kirk Norcross in 2010
He is a TOWIE original. He left the show three years after first appearing on our TV screens.
18 of 20THE GLOW UP - Kirk Norcross now
Not much has changed, except he is a dad to two children now.
19 of 20Maria Fowler in 2011
She had a very short time on TOWIE after she was dubbed "just a f***ing extra" by Kirk - harsh, right?
20 of 20THE GLOW UP - Maria Fowler now
We use the term 'now" very loosely with Maria, this picture is from early 2017 - that's because we can't find any recent pics as she is keeping it on the down low. We do know that is she is a makeup artist now, she's married to Kelvin Batey and they're expecting their second child later this year.
In addition to Billie’s swanky Great Gatsby-themed do, Sam surprised her with a First Class ticket to New York for a girls’ weekend away alongside their mum Sue. “She knows she’s in a fortunate position, but she still can’t help but compare herself to Billie. They had an amazing time in New York and Sam knew Billie would do something extra special for her in return, but who knows when that will happen now? She really felt like it was her time as the last couple of years have been all about Billie.”
In addition to Billie really making the most of her milestone birthday earlier this year, the elder Faiers sister has had quite the run of big bashes. In 2019, she and husband Greg Shepherd threw a no-expenses-spared wedding in the Maldives, gathering 95 guests for an infamously raucous week of celebrations.
Before that, she’d also enjoyed more than her fair share of bridal showers/hen dos, culminating in a massive, boozy trip to Ibiza. Sam, meanwhile, has spoken of her desire to get married to partner Paul Knightley, but they have yet to make things official. Last year, she said she’d like to get hitched “when I’m 30”.
But with wedding restrictions still in place, and no proposal in sight, we’re told Sam had really been pinning her hopes on an end of year birthday bash. And while it’s no one’s fault but covid’s, it’s still a bitter pill to swallow. Here’s hoping her family and friends fork out on some fab gifts to soften the blow.
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine - OUT NOW.