Model and presenter Lisa Snowdon admits that her relationship history is actually one of the reasons she’s so happily loved-up with fiancé George Smart. The couple, who live together in London, first had a relationship more than 20 years ago when Lisa was working as a DJ at MTV and George was head of events.
But a combination of bad timing and some dodgy romances meant it was another two decades before they were both in the right place to appreciate what they could have together. She told us in an exclusive chat, “Relationships are about security, trust, communication and supporting each other. A healthy relationship is being respectful of each other, and each other’s needs, dreams and desires."
Lisa continues, “I’ve had so many dodgy relationships in the past and they taught me so much about the things that make a good relationship. Proper communication is something I could never do. For years, I always found I had a lump in my throat and I felt like my throat chakra was completely squashed. I was like, ‘I can’t say that,’ or ‘I shouldn’t say this,’ because I felt like I was going to be judged.
“But I can say anything to George, and we’ll talk it through. The fact I can say and go to him with anything is the most important part of our relationship because nothing’s perfect, s**t happens, you lose jobs, win jobs, have life stresses, everything. But when I’m having a meltdown, George is there for me.”
When we chat to them, they’re looking blissfully happy and more than a little bit sun-kissed, which is not what you’d expect on a rainy February day. But as our amazing photographs show, the pair recently enjoyed something of a bucket list trip to the adults-only Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines resort in the Caribbean.
They have rarely done joint photoshoots or jobs together, but they invited us for a sneak peek at the special trip to celebrate Lisa’s 53rd birthday.
“We just spent every day together laughing and connecting,” Lisa beams. “When we’re both at home or working, I might be out all day or George might be out in meetings, so we don’t just get to sit and have lunch or dinners together.
“We both absolutely love travelling and we do it really well together. We like exploring, we like reading our books, going to the gym, and we like eating. In fact, eating might be at the top of the list! It was so stunning and we were swimming in the sea, hiking, riding bikes, trying all the local food, it was perfect.”
The couple got engaged in 2017 after George popped the question, and Lisa has been incredibly open in the past about being thankful that she never settled before he came along – again. But there’s still the big question of when she’ll walk down the aisle?
While the pair are clearly besotted and fully committed, it’s one of the very few things they’re not 100% on the same page about. When we ask them if they have any worries, however small, that getting married could actually change their pretty perfect dynamic, they give two different answers.
“It does a tiny bit for me,” Lisa says. “Deep down I do know it wouldn’t, but then I think, ‘Well my mum and dad’s marriage didn’t last,’ and some people say, ‘Don’t do it because it changes things.’ So there’s 90% of me that knows nothing would change, but a tiny hint of reservation where I think it would.”
Thankfully, though, George has no hesitation whatsoever and would happily marry Lisa tomorrow if they could manage the logistical nightmare of their friendship group being “dotted around the world ”.
He adds, “I know nothing would change, and I think that’s part of the way that this relationship works, you’ve got to have that bravery to keep doing the next step. And if you get married, it doesn’t alter anything. It’s not like we met each other six months ago so things are new. The only other thing it would change is that people would stop asking when we’re going to get married!”
Even with her 10% of reservation, when we ask what she thinks might change in a positive way, when they eventually do work out the logistics, Lisa beams and says, “Being able to call him ‘my husband’ and saying, ‘My husband’s coming soon, I’m just waiting for my husband!’ I think I prefer ‘my husband’ to ‘my fiancé’ – I’d love it!”
Lisa, who was spotted by a model agency scout when she was 19, has been travelling the world for much of her career and spent time living on both sides of the Atlantic. It’s also been a fairly similar experience for George, who runs a branding and communications firm.
So they want to make the most of the time they have together now that they’re reconnected. Health and wellness is a big part of their life together, be it going to the gym at 6.30am on a rainy day in London or getting in their 20,000 steps on a dream-like island in the Caribbean.
Now 53, Lisa, who chats all things ageing with various celebrity guests on her We’re Not Getting Any Younger podcast, still looks as incredible in her bikinis and tankinis as she did back in the day, but she admits it takes work and a certain mindset.
“I feel good in a bikini, but it’s the most exposed we ever are,” she laughs. “We don’t walk around in our underwear in front of other people normally, and then suddenly you’re on a beach wearing hardly any clothes, so you panic. But then you get there and nobody cares what you look like, and nor do you. You’ve got a Pina colada or a beer in your hand and you think, ‘We’re all in the same boat.’ So I just don’t worry about it.
“Obviously working out helps me feel good about myself, I get the endorphins and the boosts of serotonin. It’s part of my daily routine anyway so as long as I keep that up, I feel great. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves but I get it. We’re so exposed in front of people that we don’t know, but we don’t know them, we’re never going to see them again, so who really cares?!”
After getting back together a decade ago, Lisa and George, 45, are determined not to waste a moment of their time together. And coming into a relationship when you’ve already learnt a few hard lessons along the way, George tells us, means they haven’t wasted time on the things that don’t really matter.
It also means they know what they want and what they bring to the table. “We’ve known each other for about 23 years,” he says. “And that’s something we’re really proud of and there’s a lot of history there. That history is a great building block. I honestly think communication is vital.
“As anyone does at our kind of age, you acknowledge that you don’t have forever, so you can’t put stuff off. Even the little things. Yes, you could sit and spend another half an hour doing some work, or you can go to the butchers together, or whatever it is. You’ve really got to commit to being present with each other because it’s so easy to think, ‘Oh I’ll just finish this,’ or, ‘I’ll just watch the end of that,’ but then you miss out, and we don’t want that.
“Nothing’s perfect, but we talk to each other all the time, whatever’s going on in each other’s lives, because we’re best friends. I know that’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s really true.”
As well as making sure they’ve got healthy emotional intimacy, Lisa, who published her book Getting Started: Lessons In Life, Love And Menopause last year, says they’re on the same page when it comes to physical intimacy.
“We’re really, really touchy and tactile,” she shares. “We hug a lot, we kiss on the lips and we cuddle. We have a really lovely closeness. The most important thing for me at night is our little snuggles and our spooning. I love the connection and sometimes I notice that we go to sleep holding hands.
“I think it’s simply because we’re really grateful to have each other. Time is precious and you just don’t know what’s round the corner. You hear so many scary things with health and families and friends, so we’re very appreciative and very grateful for what we have, and we just really try to live in the moment. We try to do that with our families as well, we tell them we love them. Life is precious, we just need to act in the now.”
As for what’s next for the couple, Lisa says more travel is definitely on the horizon – with Chile, Peru, Thailand and Guatemala all high on the wish list. And it’s also not surprising that given how into their health and fitness they both are, this is an area they’re hoping to delve into more deeply as a couple.
George says they’ve even mooted the idea of hosting their own wellness retreats together. “Somewhere tropical and beautiful because we’re really into that,” says Lisa. “I love empowering women and not teaching per se, but showing people the things I’ve learnt that have worked for me. “Whether it’s movement, nutrition, or holistic therapies, that’s kind of where we’re looking.”
As for TV work, they’d also love to have their own travel show – but they have to agree on a title first. “Couples Travel,” George says, before Lisa quickly interjects and laughs, “Oh, we can come up with a better name than that!”
* Lisa Snowdon and George Smart stayed at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. To find out more or to book, visit sandals.co.uk
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