Millie Mackintosh has emerged publicly for the first time since confirming her separation from husband Hugo Taylor, her partner of seven years. The former Made In Chelsea star, 39, was spotted looking solemn during an outing in London on Thursday, noticeably concealing her wedding ring finger.
A Difficult Start to the Year
The couple, who share daughters Sienna, five, and Aurelia, four, announced their separation in January following what has been described as a particularly challenging beginning to 2026. It is understood that Millie and Hugo have engaged in numerous serious discussions about their future in recent weeks, ultimately reaching the difficult decision to part ways.
Cryptic Social Media Messages
In the lead-up to the separation becoming public, Millie shared several poignant Instagram posts that now appear telling in retrospect. Participating in the 'What are you leaving behind in 2025?' trend, she wrote that she would be leaving behind 'relationships that cost me' and 'over-explaining my boundaries'.
She also listed 'not trusting my intuition', 'guilt for choosing myself', and 'letting fear hold me back'. Millie declared that 2026 would instead be her year of 'calm, clarity and self-trust'. In a separate New Year's message, she expressed her intention to become her own cheerleader, outlining intentions focused on protecting her nervous system, saying no sooner, and trusting herself without seeking permission.
Wellness Retreat and Past Struggles
Recently, Millie travelled to India for a solo wellness retreat aimed at healing the nervous system. This journey follows years of her being open about personal battles. In January 2025, while promoting her book Bad Drunk on This Morning, she revealed that Hugo had once threatened divorce three years prior during her struggle with alcohol, following a public argument at a wedding.
'If you don't stop drinking it's going to end our marriage,' Hugo had told her, a moment Millie described as a turning point towards sobriety, which she achieved in 2022. She admitted her drinking had severely affected their relationship and that she had humiliated him.
Exploring Sexuality and Its Impact
Insiders suggest that Millie's admissions regarding her sexuality have contributed to strains within the marriage. On her friend Caggie Dunlop's Saturn Returns Podcast last year, Millie spoke openly about her teenage attraction to women, which she only felt confident to explore when drunk.
'As a teen when I would drink, I would make out with women, but that's not something I felt confident to do when I was sober,' she shared. Millie explained that she had crushes on girls at school but lacked the awareness to understand her feelings, later exploring these intimacy issues with women in therapy.
She acknowledged that this unexplored part of herself was a factor in her destructive drinking patterns. 'There was a part of myself I didn't understand and I didn't know how to express it and I felt scared to express it,' Millie stated. While she revealed Hugo was incredibly supportive when she opened up to him, sources claim that fully embracing this realisation has been 'a lot to deal with' and may have created a 'gap' in their marriage.
Commitment to Co-Parenting
Despite the separation, sources close to the pair emphasise that both remain wholly committed to co-parenting their two young daughters, who are their absolute priority. They are determined to maintain a loving and stable family life for Sienna and Aurelia.
'Their main priority remains their children and family life,' a source revealed. 'They are considering what living apart might look like and how they plan to navigate co-parenting their young children. It's been an incredibly difficult start to the year, and one they hope to continue managing in private.'
A Long History Together
Millie and Hugo's relationship has a long history. They first met as teenagers and began dating when Millie was 21, rising to fame together on the E4 reality series Made In Chelsea. Their journey, however, included a significant hiatus.
In 2013, Millie married rapper Professor Green, but the couple divorced in 2016. That same year, she rekindled her romance with Hugo Taylor. The pair tied the knot in June 2018, welcoming daughter Sienna in 2020 and Aurelia in 2021.
In recent years, Millie has built a platform discussing wellness, candidly sharing her past with binge drinking that began at boarding school, her path to becoming teetotal, and her ongoing management of severe anxiety. Her latest solo steps in London mark a new, uncertain chapter following the end of her seven-year marriage.
