How friends revealed Molly Mae and Tommy Fury had hit 'rocky' patch weeks before shock split today: from missing engagement ring, 11-month sex drought, hastily organised Instagram shots and Tommy's trips away

• READ MORE: Latest updates as Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury announce split 

While the news of Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury's shock split today came out of the blue for many of their fans, those close to the couple might be less surprised than most.

Amid months of on and off speculation about the state of their relationship, there have been signs that not all was rosy in their fairy tale romance which first began on Love Island five years ago. 

The couple were usually so meticulous about what they chose to share with the world - Molly-Mae would sometimes spend up to five hours a time planning photos for their Instagram pages.

But over the last six months the 25-year-old was spotted in public without her massive engagement ring and sharing hastily organised pictures on social media, something her boxer boyfriend has admitted to not seeing the point of.

Meanwhile, Tommy was seen partying with women during work trips abroad and going on holidays without his fiance and their young daughter, Bambi, and Molly-Mae herself admitted they had not been intimate in the 11 months since her birth.

Friends of the pair told Mail+ earlier this year that their relationship had hit a rocky patch, with personality clashes and tension over each other's behaviour causing doubts about whether their long-awaited marriage would ever take place.

The couple, who early on in their relationship had appeared inseparable, have often been seen apart in recent months.

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A friend told Alison Boshoff in May: 'They are spending time apart quite a bit. They are leading quite separate lives.'

Tommy's trips abroad to places such as Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Hungary for work and pleasure saw Molly-Mae left at home, with his fiance reportedly complaining she 'doesn't know where he is going'.

It wasn't hard to spot him though, with Tommy - who is known to enjoy drinking alcohol, a keen contrast to the mother of his daughter - seen partying with his friends, and sometimes other women, on social media.

In October 2023 he was spotted partying with girls and singer Chris Brown in Abu Dhabi, with the boxer spotted getting close to an attractive brunette. His behaviour reportedly left Molly-Mae 'mortified'. 

An insider told The Sun at the time: 'She has told Tommy it really has to stop now he’s a dad and has told him to ditch some of his pals, who she thinks are a bad influence.' 

The difference in their personalities was also laid bare in recent months as glimpses that not all was well could be seen on social media. 

While Molly-Mae, who even before going on Love Island was considering making a career out of social media, is known to 'eat, sleep and breathe Instagram', Tommy has said he doesn't see the point of it.

The influencer, who was raised in a middle-class Hertfordshire home as the daughter of two police officers, has always paid close attention to her posts online, including spending hours a day planning them to make sure they are just right for their audience.

However, she released a number of slapdash efforts - including one ill-composed shot of Tommy eating sushi where he wasn't even looking at the camera.

And sometimes it was what wasn't posted online that was the most telling - she didn't post anything on social media earlier this year to wish her fiance a happy 25th birthday.

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This intimacy appears to have extended to the bedroom, with Molly-Mae revealing in January that they were in a 'sex drought' nearly a year in length after the birth of their daughter Bambi. 

Add to this the conspicuous absence of her £600,000 engagement ring from numerous Instagram posts and the not everything appeared as rosy as it seemed.

The couple had met on the fifth series of Love Island in 2019, finishing in second place.

At the time, Tommy said he'd never even seen the show when he was scouted to take part on account of being a boxer and brother of Tyson Fury.

'I didn't have a clue what I was going on,' Tommy said. 'I just thought I'd be sitting in the sun chatting to a few girls.'

By contrast, Molly-Mae Hague was an ambitious Home Counties teenager who was desperate to grow her 160,000 social media followers to a level where she could make a living as an influencer – and she knew that Love Island was key.

Romance blossomed during the show, with Tommy often seen cuddling up to her. She attempted to keep the liaison neutral, and some viewers took a dislike to her for lying to her housemates over their relationship.

Eventually, she confessed to one: 'Obviously we've been doing bits [sleeping together]. I've denied, denied it, denied it. And I know that as soon as he cracks a smile, that's it.'

They became runners-up on the show, and Molly-Mae was dismayed to discover when they left the villa that she had been a 'hate figure'.

In an interview she said she was 'shocked' not to win because to her mind they were 'the obvious winners'.

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After leaving the island they quickly made moves to capitalise on their newfound fame, with Molly-Mae being endorsed by multiple fashion brands, while Tommy moved forward into high-profile boxing bouts with YouTubers Jake Paul and KSI.

The pair are said to be jointly worth £9million, with Molly-Mae publishing a memoir, becoming a spokesmodel for L'Oreal, 'creative director' of Pretty Little Thing and forming her own self-tan range, Filter by Molly-Mae.

The pair got engaged in July 2023 when Tommy staged a surprise proposal during a trip to Ibiza, and presented Molly-Mae with a £600,000 ring.

Weeks before they got engaged, Molly-Mae candidly shared her fears that Tommy was cheating on her, after he became protective of his phone.

In a clip posted on her YouTube channel, she said: 'My mind did somersaults, I thought, 'Why is he shady about his phone who is he talking to?'

'My mind went to the worst option. I was staring out the window like I was in a sad movie.'

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Last month the pair appeared more loved-up than ever as Tommy gifted Molly-Mae a sweet present to mark their first anniversary since his surprise Ibiza proposal.

The influencer was surprised when her professional boxer partner arrived home with a large bouquet of red roses and lilies for her.

In June, Molly-Mae revealed how she and Tommy's relationship 'especially recently' is amazing, following split rumours.

During an Instagram Q&A, Molly-Mae quashed the claims that parenthood had put a strain on things and even teased the couple's upcoming wedding date.

After one fan asked: 'Have you and Tommy faced relationship challenges since having Bambi?' the influencer was quick to gush over her partner.

She said: 'I think Bambi has made us closer. Any bickers we have are never actually about her! Parenting together, especially recently has been amazing'.

Then when another asked: '2025 wedding?' she teased: 'It's looking that way' before admitting the couple had no plans to have another baby.

After she was quizzed: 'Baby no2?' Molly-Mae said: 'Not any time soon, wedding first!'.

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They posed for their last photo together while attending the wedding of Molly-Mae's sister Zoe in July, sharing the sweet family image on Instagram.

The couple were said to be planning a 2025 wedding, with Molly-Mae telling her Instagram followers two months ago that they had become even closer after the birth of Bambi.

She said: 'I think Bambi has made us closer. Any bickers we have are never actually about her! Parenting together, especially recently has been amazing.'

However, just weeks later their romance was confirmed as over, with Molly-Mae taking to the same website today to reveal they had split. 

She wrote: 'Never in a million years did I think I'd ever have to write this.

'After five years of being together I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way.

'I am extremely upset to announce that mine and Tommy's relationship has come to an end.

'I will forever be grateful for the most important thing to me now and always, my beautiful daughter. Without us there would be no her, she will always be my priority. 

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'I want to thank you all for the love you have shown us over the last five years. You have all been a part of our journey and I feel it's right to share this with you all.

Molly-Mae will be taking a step back from social media and work commitments as she attempts to come to terms with life without Tommy.

She added: 'Whilst I attempt to navigate the coming days and weeks please kindly respect my privacy over this difficult time, I'll be back when it feels right. Molly-Mae x'

Just under an hour later, Tommy broke his silence on the split, penning on his Instagram Stories: 'I am heartbroken to share that Molly and I have decided to end our relationship.

'The past 5 years have led to us having our beautiful baby girl, Bambi and I will be forever thankful to Molly for making me a dad. Bambi is our priority.

'Please respect our privacy, and our families privacy, as we navigate our way through this difficult time.'