Made In Chelsea’s Verity Bowditch reacts to ex Tristan Phipps dating her pal Olivia Bentley

Made In Chelsea’s Verity Bowditch wishes ‘all the best’ to her ex Tristan Phipps and her pal Olivia Bentley after it emerged the pair are now dating – but thinks the girls’ friendship is now over. 

Olivia, 25, and Tristan, 24, have been hooking up throughout the current series of the E4 reality show, but appeared to confirm their relationship with a selection of loved-up Instagram posts last week. 

Verity, 26, who split from Tristan during the first nationwide lockdown, admitted while she was ‘shocked’ to see her ex-boyfriend romantically involved with her friend, she hopes the couple find ‘love and happiness’.  

She told MailOnline: ‘I was shocked because when you film for the show you aren’t actually in the loop about what’s happening in people’s personal lives, you just do your own storyline. 

‘I am happy for them and I hope they find some success. I came across a quote which read “A life without love is like a year without summer”, so if they can fall in love and be happy with each other then I do wish them all the best. 

‘Tristan and I weren’t right for each other but they might be.’ 

Verity appeared to suggest her friendship with Olivia is now over, adding: ‘It’s hard to be friends with someone who is dating your ex for all sorts of reasons. 

‘It’s just one of those things which happens in life.’

Verity, who has been romantically involved with Love Island’s Charlie Frederick in the current season of the show, said: ‘Tristan and Charlie are completely different people and at the opposite ends of the spectrum.  

‘I am the type of person who really loves to get to know someone’s personality and really delve in.

‘I think it’s good to let yourself get emotionally involved with someone different because you get to learn a lot about yourself and other people as well. You can then take that experience into whatever happens next.’

The reality star launched Pilates With Verity in January after studying to complete her level 3 qualification, which she did alongside filming Made In Chelsea.

She told MailOnline: ‘I actually started doing pilates because I joined Made In Chelsea. I was working in event productions but couldn’t do the show and my job at the same time. Although you don’t do pilates every day, it does require a lot of time.

‘I had a period of my life when I wasn’t filming for the show and I thought what am I going to do?  

‘I have a degree in Biomedical Science and now I’m on a reality TV show, how can I link the two and make something really successful?’ 

Verity’s pilates classes began with face-to-face teaching at Milo and the Bull in Wandsworth, south-west London, for three months before turning to virtual classes on Zoom.

She said: ‘It really picked up on Zoom, but it was good that I had some experience of teaching face to face beforehand and then it was just life changing.

‘I absolutely love it and I have met all sorts of people who wouldn’t have been able to make my physical classes, along with people from all over the world including as far as Australia. I had 80 people on one Zoom at one point which was mental.

‘I just really enjoyed helping people throughout the first lockdown and I didn’t actually realise how much it was helping them get through everything that was happening.

Speaking about how she did pilates differently during the first and second lockdowns she said: ‘During the first lockdown I was doing it outside with my sheep in the background and my horse running round me.

‘I spent it at my family home in Dorset where Amelia [Mist, her co-star] also isolated with me.

‘Now I am in Notting Hill at my flat which gives me more of a studio set up. I am always trying to develop my classes and include new moves. I want people to see how life changing it can be.’

Explaining how pilates has helped he through both national lockdowns she said: ‘Mentally, you can really struggle over lockdown and this gives you a really good structure. It completely changes the way I see things and my outlook on life.

‘And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to be toned and have a six pack? That’s what I am aiming for!’

Verity ended her relationship with Tristan in April during the first national lockdown explaining that she was ‘really sad for three weeks’.

She said: ‘Tristan came to one of my Zoom classes over the first lockdown which was weird because we couldn’t see each other physically but his mum joined in as well which was sweet.

‘Going through a break up during lockdown is so tough and with being on the show people don’t know the ins and outs of everyone’s lives. 

‘Having a relationship in lockdown is make or break and for us it was break, but you have to move forward from that and get over it because you can’t see each other as we were 200 miles apart.

‘Pilates helped me create a structure and I made myself have a 7:30am class on a Wednesday so I would be up at 6:30am and let the chickens and ducks out, feed the horse and get straight back into pilates.

‘I am such a big believer in exercise is medicine. I really feel for anyone who has gone through that same situation. I was lucky to have my parents and Amelia in the countryside to help me get through it.’

Filming for season 20 of Made In Chelsea saw the cast having to isolate together at two country houses in Surrey and the final few episodes of the show took place over the second national lockdown.

She explained how Pilates With Verity took place while they were filming in the houses: ‘Some of the hangovers before the classes were insane, it was really sweet though as we had this amazing grand piano room and I also used the gym as well.

‘We got Freddie Browne doing the crunches and the producers got involved too while Amelia was killing herself laughing at me through it all. 

‘The show worked around my pilates schedule which was really good.

‘We filmed parts of this season during the second national lockdown and could only have three different households at once which meant three different camera men. 

‘We all had to stay two metres apart and there was no hugging involved which was crazy.

‘When we do an emotional scene, you are so use to hugging someone so it was really weird not having that. It has a huge effect on people’s personal lives both on and off the show.’

Speaking about Christmas plans this year she said: ‘Obviously everything depends on what rules are in place this year but I will probably be in Dorset with my family. 

‘Amelia came round last year and my mum wants to invite her and her new boyfriend over this year. 

‘It’s also my dog’s first Christmas with us as we rescued her from the RSPCA during the first national lockdown.’