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.
