“Ryan Thomas and Lucy Mecklenburgh’s Journey: From Deserted Island Love to New Beginnings in Manchester”

When Ryan Thomas and Lucy Mecklenburgh fell in love on a deserted island, they knew they’d have to make sacrifices to be together. The former Coronation Street actor, 40, left the reality TV show “Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls” in 2017 with more than just a survivor’s badge. While battling life-threatening conditions, he sparked a romance with TOWIE star Lucy. Despite living over 200 miles apart, Ryan relocated from Manchester to Essex to be with her.

For seven years, Ryan embraced life in the South, but last year, the couple made the significant decision to move back up north. Speaking to the Mirror in partnership with Santander, Ryan reflected on the transition: “It felt daunting at first moving to a new place, but it was the decision I made when I met a Southerner. I slowly fell in love with Essex and now I miss it. It’s got a small place in my heart. I’ve got a few friends there and I’ve become really close with Lucy’s family.”

Ryan fondly recalls adjusting to the differences between Northerners and Southerners. “Us northerners are more friendly,” he chuckled. “When I say ‘hello’ to a stranger down there, it’s a bit different to up north. It’s a lot more fast-paced in Essex, but it’s a good commute place with some countryside. You get the peace and tranquillity, but have the option to go into the Big Smoke.”

Ryan and Lucy shared many life milestones while living in Essex. In 2019, Ryan proposed in Italy, and they welcomed their son Roman in 2020, followed by their daughter Lilah Rae in 2022. Ryan’s eldest child, Scarlett, from his previous relationship with actress Tina O’Brien, became a big sister. Despite their families frequently traveling back and forth, Ryan decided to buy a home in Manchester, told The Mirror.

“I bought this house in Manchester before Lucy had even seen it,” Ryan confessed. “I told her that I really liked it and she told me to buy it. So I bought it and then she came to see it. It was a big risk. But we both fell in love with the house quickly. It reminds me of the house where I grew up. And it’s in one of the most friendly neighborhoods in the country.”

In September 2023, the couple relocated over four hours away from Lucy’s hometown. “There was never a plan. It was just the way it worked out. It was daunting for Lucy to move up to Manchester and even though I’m from here, the area we live now I’ve never spent any time in,” Ryan explained. “But I have all of my family on my doorstep and family is the most important thing to me. My niece and nephews come over and the kids get to grow up together.”

Ryan ensured that all three kids had their own bedrooms, emphasizing, “Kids come first.” Scarlett, who lives just five minutes away, frequently visits and loves being a big sister. Ryan bought the property in 2021, and after two years of renovations, they officially moved in.

“The kids are going to go to school here,” Ryan said. “Lucy has found the local Pilates studio, a nursery we can walk to, and friends around the corner. She knows this place better than me. I think Lucy wants to live here now and I want to live in Essex. We love both places for different reasons.”

Though they are settling into their new home, the couple has no immediate plans to get married. “We’ve stopped having children – that was the big obstacle before a wedding. Then it was chaos moving house, but now there’s nothing in the way,” Ryan explained. “But we are really, really happy and we’re not putting any pressure on ourselves. We feel very lucky for what we already have. I’m not saying it won’t happen, because I’d love for that to happen, but we have no plans at the moment.”

Currently, Ryan is collaborating with Santander and four first-time buyers to get to know a new neighborhood in just two hours, from playing pool with the local pub landlord to finding a new house plant and checking out the local gym. “I’ve learned that 40 percent of first-time buyers spend less than two hours getting to know their neighborhood before buying a home there, which sounds crazy – but I bought a house without Lucy even seeing it,” he said.