WHEN a man prepares to become a father for the first time, it is only natural that he would turn to his closest, most experienced mate for a guiding hand.
With three young children of his own, you would expect Spencer Matthews to be the very first person on Jamie Laing’s speed dial as he navigated the terrifying, sleepless reality of fatherhood. But as Jamie celebrates the launch of Raising Chelsea – his new Disney+ documentary charting his and wife Sophie Habboo’s journey to welcoming baby son Ziggy – his former best friend is nowhere to be seen.
Jamie Laing was once inseparable from his Made in Chelsea bestie Spencer MatthewsCredit: Getty
Tensions between the pair began brewing around the time of Jamie and Sophie’s wedding in 2023Credit: InstagramIn a brutal snub that confirms the biggest bromance in reality TV is well and truly dead, The Sun can reveal Spencer was left completely out of the glossy new series.
Instead of leaning on his former Made In Chelsea sidekick for parenting advice on-camera, Jamie chose to feature a revolving door of other supportive friends, including their old co-star Oliver Proudlock.
Worse still, we can reveal that Spencer – who asked Jamie to be godfather to his daughter Gigi in 2020 – was not even invited to the star-studded premiere in Battersea, just a stone’s throw from where he and his family live.
An insider said: “Spencer being left out of Raising Chelsea and snubbed from the premiere is a kick in the teeth.
“For a show that documents the most important milestone of Jamie’s life, to have old castmates like Proudlock feature while his supposed best mate is entirely erased speaks volumes.”
“It is the final, glaring proof that this friendship is damaged beyond repair. They are completely done.”
While Spencer has stayed silent about Jamie’s new show on social media, his wife Vogue Williams posted a screenshot of the Disney Plus programme on the weekend.
“She’s doing her best to make it seem like all is well with the pair, but no one is buying it,” said one source.
For 20 years, Jamie and Spencer were joined at the hip. From their cheeky teenage antics to falling out of nightclubs, they shared their highest highs and their lowest lows. To the fans, they were brothers.
So how did the biggest bromance on British television end? The cracks have been showing for years, fueled by fierce rivalries, a brutal wedding snub, and explosive rumours that threatened to tear their social circle apart.
The divide between the pair was thrust into the spotlight last year when Jamie took part in an epic marathon challenge, running 150 miles from London to Manchester over five days for Comic Relief, raising £2 million.
For 20 years, Jamie and Spencer were joined at the hip, sharing their highest highs and their lowest lowsCredit: GC Images – Getty
Jamie and Sophie tied the knot in 2023 – with Spencer and his wife, Vogue Williams, shockingly left off the guest listCredit: GC Images
Jamie, who has successfully reinvented himself as a beloved Radio 1 star, was supported by a host of celebrity pals – including Proudlock and The Traitors winner Leanne Quigley – who surprised him at the finish line.
Spencer, however, was notably absent.
Just months prior, Spencer had completed his own gruelling charity feat: running 30 marathons in 30 days across the Jordanian desert, raising £500k.
When Spencer ran, Jamie posted glowing tributes. When Jamie ran, Spencer posted: “Great display of determination and resilience. Congratulations on a phenomenal fundraiser for such an admirable cause.”
The rivalry had actually been stoked months earlier by comedian Jack Whitehall. Appearing on Jamie’s podcast, Jack poked fun at their competitive dynamic, joking that Jamie could never match Spencer’s physical feats.
Vogue has been concerned about Spencer’s friendship with Jamie
Insider
Jack teased: “It would be the end of the friendship if you just came out tomorrow and go, ‘I’m going to do 31 in the desert’, although you would probably keel over after the first.”
While said in jest, the comment was close to the truth. Only months later, Jamie announced his own spectacular running challenge.
Our insider revealed: “It’s not gone unnoticed that shortly after Jack was winding him up, Jamie decided to take on Spencer.
“With the backing of Radio 1, he managed to turn it into a huge spectacle and success, raising four times as much money.”
When quizzed about whether he sought training advice from his ultra-marathoner friend Spencer, Jamie was notoriously evasive, revealing he had turned to Russell Cook – aka the Hardest Geezer – instead.
‘P***ed off’
But the marathon tension was merely a symptom of a much deeper rift.
The death knell of their friendship rang in 2023, during the chaotic lead-up to Jamie and Sophie’s wedding.
The first signs of trouble emerged during Jamie’s civil ceremony in London.
Spencer and his wife, Vogue Williams, were shockingly left off the guest list. Spencer was on holiday in Portugal at the time, completely unaware his best friend was tying the knot.
Spencer openly admitted how “p***ed off” he was, with Vogue noting she had never seen him so upset.
Taking to their own podcast to set the record straight, Spencer fumed: “I’m being hammered for ‘snubbing’ my best friend’s wedding to go on holiday, and then posting about my holiday.
Spencer raised £50k running 30 marathons in 30 days across the Jordanian desertCredit: Instagram/spencermatthews
Jamie raised £2m for Comic Relief by running 150 miles from London to Manchester over five daysCredit: Getty“I’m not here to b***h about my best friend, but there’s been some serious miscommunication from him.
“I was not invited to this part of Jamie’s wedding, and neither was Vogue.”
Jamie quickly scrambled to do damage control, publicly admitting his massive blunder: “I f***ed up. We had our civil ceremony in the UK.
“It was a hectic process. Amongst the hecticness of getting people there, I thought Spencer and Vogue were away.
“Spencer got upset – which is fair enough. So I sent Vogue a message hoping to get a bit of support, and then she replied, ‘To be honest, Jamie, it’s not good.’ And I was like ‘f***’.”
‘Lottie Moss’ rumours
The men tried to sweep the London snub under the rug, but the damage was irrevocably done.
By late 2023, fans were blindsided when the pair suddenly pulled the plug on their hugely successful joint podcast, 6 Degrees.
Reports quickly surfaced that Vogue was the driving force behind the split.
An insider told The Sun: “Vogue has been concerned about Spencer’s friendship with Jamie.
Lottie Moss, right, partied with Spencer at Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s weddingCredit: Instagram“She saw how upset he was when he was snubbed from the wedding, and she felt it wasn’t healthy for her husband.”
But was there more to Vogue’s sudden distaste for Jamie?
Just two months after the London wedding snub, Jamie and Sophie held a lavish second wedding in Marbella, Spain.
Spencer attended the bash alone, as Vogue claimed a “diary mix-up” kept her in Dublin for work.
What followed was the final nail in the coffin. Explosive rumours swept through the Chelsea set that Spencer had “hooked up” with Kate Moss’s little sister, Lottie Moss, at the Spanish bash.
Lottie was forced to publicly deny the claims, insisting: “Spencer’s a great guy. We partied together, but there was nothing more to it.”
Regardless of the truth, the wild rumours overshadowed Jamie and Sophie’s dream wedding.
‘No way back’
In a bid to end the bust-up rumours, the pair reunited at the London HQ of Jamie’s company, Jampot Productions, last September to record an episode of his solo podcast, Great Company with Jamie Laing.
During the recording, they attempted to convince listeners they had called a truce on the feud, but their differences became obvious.
While discussing Spencer’s absence from Jamie’s marathon finishing line, Spencer said: “I would have loved to have seen you along the way. My phone didn’t ring. I didn’t get asked to come see you.”
Jamie awkwardly responded: “There was no way you could be invited because we weren’t even talking. And we weren’t even friends. So how would you have been invited?”
A clearly shocked Spencer responded: “I didn’t realise that we weren’t even friends, to be honest.”
“That’s up for debate,” Jamie curtly replied.
Now their fans are mournful of what should have been an exciting new chapter in their friendship.
Spencer and Jamie have been hugely successful since their Made in Chelsea days – and undoubtedly its most famous alumni.
They are a constant presence on telly, have their own successful podcasts, as well as thriving businesses, plus stunning wives and young families.
Yet today, the two men couldn’t be further apart.
As one insider put it: “It is such a shame. They have so many memories together and successes to celebrate. But they have outgrown their friendship and there seems no way back.”
Sources close to Jamie said that Disney were responsible for the premiere’s guest list, which was only for contributors and media.
Vogue Williams is said to have been wary of Spencer’s friendship with JamieCredit: Getty Images – Getty
