Reality television star Lucy Mecklenburgh has explained why she and actor Ryan Thomas sleep in separate beds and why their wedding remains on hold.
Speaking in a new interview with The Mirror, the former The Only Way Is Essex personality revealed that her fiance snores, sleep talks, and moves around in his sleep, leading her to send him to the spare room in their Manchester home. Mecklenburgh, 35, and Thomas, 42, have been together since 2017 and got engaged two years later in June 2019, but their marriage plans have taken a back seat to raising their young family.
The couple share two children, six-year-old son Roman and four-year-old daughter Lilah. Mecklenburgh explained that managing daily routines with two young children changed their priorities and made planning a wedding secondary to family life.
"I think it's become harder because we had kids before we got married," Mecklenburgh said. She added that while their wedding is not an immediate focus, the couple still intend to tie the knot in the future, saying: "We would love to one day."
Separate bedrooms and living arrangements
Opening up about their nocturnal habits, Mecklenburgh detailed how the separate sleeping arrangement began in their household. "Ryan snores and sleep talks, and I need my sleep," she told The Mirror. "I have to sleep, especially with two young kids. It's full-on, so I'd just turf him out to the spare room because I'd be like, 'Shut up!', and that kind of evolved."
Her comments follow public admissions made last month by Thomas on his podcast, At Home With The Thomas Bros, which he co-hosts with his brothers Adam and Scott Thomas. Speaking on the broadcast, the former Coronation Street actor revealed that the couple do not just sleep in different beds when at home in Manchester, but also spend their evenings in separate living rooms.
"In Manchester, we stay in separate beds and we have separate living rooms," Thomas explained on the show. However, he noted that space constraints at their second property in London require them to share a bed when staying in the capital. "Well we do now, because we haven't got enough rooms in London," he said.
The revelation sparked a reaction from his brother Adam, an actor known for his roles on Emmerdale and Waterloo Road. "I think it's f***ed up personally as well. You need to stay in the same bed as her," Adam told him during the recording.
Mecklenburgh previously discussed their sleeping habits last year, explaining that sharing a bed with the actor was physically disruptive. "Basically Ryan snores, he sleep talks, he whacks me in his sleep," she said at the time.
Postponed wedding and family priorities
Mecklenburgh and Thomas first began dating in 2017 before getting engaged two years later in June 2019. However, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 forced the couple, along with many other engaged pairs across the country, to put their nuptials on hold.
Since their engagement, their family has expanded with the births of Roman and Lilah. Thomas is also father to 17-year-old daughter Scarlett from his previous relationship with his former Coronation Street co-star Tina O'Brien. Mecklenburgh noted that raising two young children alongside relocating to Manchester in recent years made their daily routine "really full-on," leaving little time to prioritize wedding planning.
Copenhagen getaway and podcast teasing
Despite their separate bedtime routines, the couple recently enjoyed a romantic holiday abroad. In April, Thomas and Mecklenburgh traveled to Copenhagen in Denmark, where they stayed at the luxurious Hotel Bella Grande. Thomas later published photos on social media showing the couple kissing inside a photobooth.
The romantic post became a topic of discussion on At Home With The Thomas Bros, where Scott Thomas, a former Love Island star, teased his brother about the photos. Scott expressed surprise at the display of affection, noting that Mecklenburgh is generally private about public displays of affection.
"I saw some pictures of you two kissing in a photobooth. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This is a bit PDA for Lucy," Scott told his brother on the podcast.
Thomas defended the photos, explaining that the trip to Denmark reinforced his feelings for his fiancée. "I just validated my love for Lucy. I was so in love this trip. I felt like she was," Thomas said. When Scott and Adam laughed at his statement, Adam joked: "Let's ask Lucy, get her on."
Unbothered by his brothers' joking, Thomas declared his affection for Mecklenburgh. "I just love her so much. I know she was in love and she had the best time and I've come back and I love that woman you know," Thomas said on the broadcast. "I'm the luckiest man in the world, I fancy her so much and I'm besotted with her."
While their wedding remains paused for the time being, both Mecklenburgh and Thomas have confirmed they remain dedicated to their family and hope to marry in the future.
