Colin Stevenson, a tarot reader and self-described life coach, has avoided jail for abusing Libby Smith, the influencer daughter of Rangers legend Gordon Smith, and blocking her from seeing her family. The 43-year-old, of Lanark, admitted a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards his ex-wife at Lanark Sheriff Court and was given community service and banned from contacting her.
Libby, 37, married Stevenson in a lavish ceremony in 2023, with her father, 71, by her side and former Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan, 36, as a bridesmaid. The abuse began weeks before their wedding and continued for almost three years, according to prosecutors.
Abuse began with criticism and control
Prosecutor Jack Muir said the pair met in January 2022 when Stevenson read Libby's tarot cards. They chatted over social media before starting a relationship and moving in together. The abuse began when Stevenson started criticising her parenting style as being too soft and would call her a "roaster".
When the couple moved from Glasgow to a property in Lanark, Libby tried to visit her mum Marlene once a week, but on one trip, Stevenson called her and told her to return home. Mr Muir said: "Marlene Smith could hear the accused shouting."
Later that year, Libby fell pregnant, but Stevenson would not allow her mum to see or have access to the child and controlled how the mum should care for the baby. Mr Muir added: "The accused stated he did not wish for the complainer to breastfeed. She ignored that but developed mastitis. The complainer said she was too afraid to tell the accused, contracted sepsis and ended up in hospital." During one trip to see her in hospital, Stevenson told his wife "visiting her was a waste of time and petrol".
Isolation and the end of the marriage
Mr Muir said: "During the later stages of the relationship the accused made efforts to stop the complainer seeing her friends. This resulted in the complainer only socialising with friends separately." The court heard the relationship ended in April 2025, with Libby moving away and starting divorce proceedings.
Stevenson admitted he shouted, swore and uttered insults at his wife, attempted to isolate her from her friends and made "insulting remarks about her appearance". The charge also stated that on one occasion he insisted she return to the family home while visiting her family, and prevented her family from visiting her and their newborn child. He admitted "directing the manner in which she cared" for the baby. The abuse happened between October 2022 and April last year.
Archie Hill, defending Stevenson, said: "We have a clash of two styles of living here. She wants to tell people about their lives. He wanted a small church, she wanted a lavish display in Fife. Her parents were in the public eye. She has been used to being in the public eye through her parents. He wanted a quiet life." Mr Hill said things spiralled when the couple moved to a cottage close to a farm, adding: "The difficulties were when too many people tried to come over. He didn't want them in the house because it was a small house but she was in touch with them daily. It wasn't going to work and petered out and she simply left. He is remorseful for his actions during the course of the marriage but it was a two-way street. He wanted to bring the family out here for a better life and it didn't work."
Secret wedding and family background
Libby announced she had got married days after her secret ceremony on the banks of Loch Fyne. She took to social media to reveal she was now "a wife" after eloping with her new husband for a ceremony in Inveraray, Argyll, attended by just them and their witnesses. The fitness instructor shared a snap of herself in a white dress and veil, clutching a bouquet of red roses. Then a mum of one, she described the day as "magical" and an "intimate, romantic elopement with just our witnesses present". A glitzy reception followed in December, with celebrity hairstylist Pam Doc sharing pictures of the bridal party. Actress pal Helen wowed in a silver sequin dress, holding a single red rose.
Libby posed alongside her mum and dad – ex-Rangers, Brighton and Manchester City striker Gordon, who was chief executive of the Scottish FA from 2007 to 2010. Smith, who remains heavily involved in the game, famously scored the winning goal for Rangers against Celtic in the 1978 Scottish League Cup final. Libby also has a son, Edson Thunder Smith, to her ex-boyfriend, former Celtic keeper Logan Bailly. The couple split before Libby gave birth.
Stevenson describes himself as an entrepreneur on social media and advertises a tarot reading app he has created. A source close to Libby rubbished Stevenson's claim he wanted a "quiet life" as "ridiculous". They said Stevenson had even enlisted Libby's famous dad to appear on a sports podcast he set up alongside a business at the start of the relationship. They said: "Colin was trying to break into the sports industry on the back of Gordon's name. He has done his own photoshoots and podcasts. He has a big ego. He's advertised himself as having read celebrities' fortunes. But somehow their lifestyles clashed? Libby wasn't allowed to post on social media for years and disappeared off the face of the Earth but when she was allowed to post, it was about his business to try and generate him a following. He's pleaded guilty and been through a legal process but is still trying to paint the picture it's not his fault."
