Presenter and model Lisa Snowdon has split from her partner George Smart. The 54-year-old star shared the news, revealing that she and her former fiancé had "grown apart" after 12 years together.
Lisa announced that she was single on Ateh Jewel's Second Act podcast, where she said: "I'm feeling like maybe it's even more in my second act now, being 54, because I'm single. I'm feeling strong. I'm feeling happy. I'm feeling excited about what the future is."
How the couple met and got engaged
She and George, 47, met through MTV and began dating in 2014. Just before Christmas in 2016, George proposed. Lisa announced their engagement a month later and called her then fiancé "selfless, honest, kind, wise, calm and thoughtful".
When asked about whether she found it hard to step away from a relationship at 54, she said: "Age didn't come into it at all. I think it was more people change. We both changed. You grow apart. That's what happened."
What Lisa said about the split
Lisa added that she did not want to look back at her engagement negatively, remarking that "people change" and it was instead "exciting" to start a new journey.
This comes after months of speculation about whether or not the couple were still together. The rumours started to swirl when Lisa was seen without her engagement ring and when George disappeared from her social media.
Lisa continued to tell Ateh that "communication is key". She said: "You know, you've got to communicate with each other. And you've got to be honest with yourself as well: does this feel right anymore? A lot of people want to stay in because it's more comfortable. You don't want to rock the boat. You don't know what else is out there. You don't know what life looks like."
Life after the engagement
Lisa, who has presented Capital Breakfast and regular segments on This Morning, added that she was not rushing to start another relationship with anyone else and was enjoying being single.
She has been travelling solo since the split and recently went to both Bali, for a wellness retreat, and to Sri Lanka, to visit a friend. Lisa explained that having an "adventure by myself" helped her think about what she wants and needs.
"I've always been super independent," she said. "I mean, you know, if somebody comes into my life, then I'm open to it. But I'm not actively searching right now. I just want to do things. I want to see my girls. I want to see my family. I want to travel. I want to learn some new things."
