She’s spent the past year urging her fans to keep positive and stay at home during the global pandemic. But Sam Faiers found herself in the firing line last week, after it was reported she had secretly flown to the Maldives to celebrate her 30th birthday on 31 December.
It was claimed Sam, boyfriend Paul Knightley, and their two children, Paul, five, and three-year-old Rosie, breached Tier 4 travel restrictions by jetting out in late December. And her apparent disregard for the rules saw her branded “a disgrace” and “shameless”.
Sam was reportedly caught out after she kept a low profile on Instagram over her birthday and New Year, posting only a black and white picture of her family on her 30th. She also kept her stories to a minimum – which is very unusual for her, as she normally shares every detail of her life. And the quieter she was, the more her Instagram followers started to question her whereabouts, especially when Paul’s mum Gaynor commented on a picture appearing to tell them to enjoy their holiday, which was later deleted.
CHECK OUT TOWIE original cast - then and now
CLOSER: TOWIE Original cast then and now photos
1 of 27Lydia Bright
Lovely Lydia Bright had a tough job putting up with on/off boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent. After Arg's cheating ways proved too much to deal with, Lydia walked away from their relationship and the show in 2012, but returned for a few special episodes.
2 of 27Lydia Bright
Lydia had string of relationships and was most recently linked to mechanic Lee Cronin. She still runs her successful clothing business, Bella Sorella, and she took part in the Channel 4 TV show The Jump.
3 of 27James 'Arg' Argent
Arg was the loveable cheeky chap who could first be found singing around the bars of Essex. After proving to be a pretty lousy boyfriend to Lyds and being suspended from the show for partying, Arg went into rehab and came out a new man.
4 of 27James 'Arg' Argent
Arg is now in a relationship with another Essex blonde bombshell, Gemma Collins, and they have big plans to become the world's next big power couple.
5 of 27Lauren Goodger
Poor Lauren Goodger was always in distress over long-term boyfriend Mark Wright. The future never really looked promising for this couple. In fact, she famously pushed Mark into a swimming pool.
6 of 27Lauren Goodger
Lauren left the show in 2016, before appearing on Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Big Brother. She's now in a relationship with Joey Morrisson, who's currently doing a stretch in prison. Lauren occasionally makes a special appearance in the show that made her name.
7 of 27Mark Wright
Ah, Mark wright - he sure did have a way with the ladies in Essex. After finishing things with fiance Lauren Goodger, he had flings with Sam Faiers and Lucy Mecklenburgh. Mark left the show in 2016 after meeting actress Michelle Keegan.
8 of 27Mark Wright
Mark married Michelle in 2015 and now has a TV career in LA, presenting a show called Extras. The pair are VERY loved up and we reckon it's far less dramatic than his previous relationships.
9 of 27Kirk Norcross
Sugar Hut club promoter Kirk Norcross had relationships with Amy Childs and Lauren Pope. He even had 'his n hers' nose surgery with Popey before they split. Kirk also introduced viewers to his Sugar Hut owner dad, Mick, who had a one-sided love affair with Gemma Collins.
10 of 27Kirk Norcross
Kirk is now a dad to two kids and he has an ADORABLE Instagram feed of family photos. Kirk also had a stint on Celebrity Big Brother and Ex On The Beach, but it looks like he's now sticking to life as a daddy.
11 of 27Amy Childs
Queen of the vajazzle, Amy Childs was the beautiful beautician who only stayed in the show for a year. She soon starred in her own series, It's All About Amy.
12 of 27Amy Childs
Amy is now a mum to little Polly who she gave birth to in 2017. She is no longer in a relationship with Polly's dad, Bradley Wright, but she was recently snapped with a mystery man on holiday.
13 of 27Harry Derbidge
Young Harry was the cousin of Amy Childs and just as glamorous as her. Who can forget when he performed as Lady Gaga at his birthday party?
14 of 27Harry Derbidge
Harry started a relationship with co-star Bobby Norris but it ended after Harry reportedly cheated. Harry recently opened up about his battle with an eating disorder, but he looks to be doing well, and is now a pretty amazing makeup artist. Do you think he's had lip fillers? Hmmm.
15 of 27Sam Faiers
Sam Faiers first hit screens when best mate Amy Childs gave her a vajazzle. She gave in to Mark Wright's romantic pursuits for a short while, but it was her relationship with Joey Essex that won our hearts (sob).
16 of 27Sam Faiers
Sam now has a BEAUTIFUL family with her partner Paul Knightley and two kids. She went on to star in another reality show, Sam Faiers: The Mummy Diaries. Sam has also opened up about her battle with Crohn's disease and she still helps to run clothing boutique, Minnie's.
17 of 27Jess Wright
Sister of Mark Wright, she had to give him a few sisterly straight-talks. She was a model and singer, with dreams of making it big in the pop music world. Jess's big relationship was with co-star Ricky Rayment.
18 of 27Jess Wright
More recently. Jess split from Strictly's Giovanni Pernice after five months of dating. She's released a fitness DVD but that's all we've heard from her, really.
19 of 27Billie Faiers
The bond between Billie and her sister Sam was pure joy to watch. She always had her sister's back.
20 of 27Billie Faiers
Billie is now engaged to Greg Shepherd, who she has a son and a daughter with. She appeared in The Mummy Diaries with her big sis, but it's reported that she's to get her own reality show which will document her getting ready for the wedding.
21 of 27Lucy Mecklenburgh
Lucy Mecklenburgh caused a lot of trouble between Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger after she slept with Mark. But her big romance was with co-star Mario Falcone.
22 of 27Lucy Mecklenburgh
Lucy is now a fitness GURU. Honestly, nothing comes between this girl and her abs. She's now in a relationship with former Corrie actor Ryan Thomas after appearing on Celebrity Island together. She also runs a fashion boutique and an online fitness program - quite the entrepreneur.
23 of 27Lauren Pope
DJ Lauren 'Popey' Pope was already known for being a bit of a party girl on the circuit before starting TOWIE. She was in an on/off relationship with Kirk Norcross and dated Tom Pearce.
24 of 27Lauren Pope
Lauren is now the proud owner of a successful hair extensions business. She recently rejoined the show.
25 of 27Maria Fowler
Model Maria Fowler was Popey's best pal and she did NOT get on with her mate's BF Kirk Norcross. She went through some tough times in public after leaving the show just two series later.
26 of 27Maria Fowler
But now Maria looks VERY happy in her new role as a mum to Evie, who she had with boyfriend Kelvin Batey.
27 of 27Nanny Pat
Nanny Pat was the voice of reason that the TOWIE cast needed. She doted on her grandkids Mark and Jess Wright, and always dished out the best advice. She also knew how to let her hair down. Sadly, 80-year-old Pat died in 2015.
There were lots of claims she’d been in the Maldives, and when fans complained to ITV and Potato – who make her reality show The Mummy Diaries – it was alleged that the show bosses reminded Sam of the rules, as well as her responsibility to strictly adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, and warned her of the possible ramifications.
But Sam didn’t seem to mind. She posted a picture of herself on Instagram on 14 January, looking relaxed and tanned as she sat at her desk. She wrote, “Working from home for the foreseeable” – despite everyone else doing it from 4 January, when the UK went into its third lockdown. And it was claimed she had banned the words “holiday” and “tan” from the comments section.
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heat reached out for comment, but Sam’s people declined to say anything. Of course, Sam may have done nothing wrong, but fans were infuriated by the reports and many have called her out. “She thought that she had covered herself, but she’s been caught out,” one claimed, while another said, “She thinks the rules don’t apply to her because she’s rich.”
On one public forum, it was also alleged that Sam had many members of Paul’s family over on Christmas Day, despite putting up a picture claiming it was just them and his mum as they were in Tier 4. Love Island star Francesca Allen – whose sister Claudia is partner to Paul’s brother Tony – posted an Insta Story showing lots of people in Sam’s kitchen, but later deleted it.
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