Made In Chelsea star Ryan Libbey and Louise Thompson's wedding plans including best man

Ryan Libbey has confirmed he is finally set to marry partner Louise Thompson, seven years after he proposed to the reality star in Los Angeles. The couple put a pause on wedding planning as they welcomed their son, Leo, in November 2021, and have had a tough few years since following Louise's traumatic childbirth - which saw her almost lose her life.

But Ryan has now revealed to Mirror that the big day is back on, with planning in full swing: "We’ve registered our intent to marry. The process has officially started. We’re still deciding – either something small like a town hall wedding and party, or abroad."

With Louise's famous brother Sam Thompson living right next door to the couple in West London borough Chelsea, the pair have struck up a close-knit bond. But will Sam get the Best Man spot in the wedding? "He’d probably assume so," laughs Ryan as he keeps the answer coy. Continuing: "We're very close now. We live next to each other, hang out all the time – even just us two having chats about life." If they need any wedding inspiration, it comes after Mel B's 'spiritual' Moroccan wedding with non traditional dress.

READ MORE: Kerry Katona reveals devastating health condition after split from ex-fiancé

READ MORE: The touching moment Lucy Bronze consoles rumoured girlfriend and rival Ona Batlle

Ryan and Louise are in a positive place now, but have only just come out the other side following Louise's post-natal troubles. After her traumatic birth which included an emergency C-section and saw Louise almost lose her life twice, she was in hospital for a prolonged stay and left with life-long health implications, alongside PTSD from the experience.

Due to the physical and mental impact, Louise was unable to fully bond with her son, leaving Ryan as the sole caregiver for Leo. "It took chunks out of me," he says of the experience. Ryan explains, "Louise was unwell and away from parenting for the first 10 months, so I was Leo’s sole caregiver. I hit a low point – possibly depression. I didn’t realise it until family pointed it out.

"Eventually, I had to take a four-day break to reset. It was hard but transformative. We’ve matured as a family and I’ve become passionate about men speaking openly about emotions."

Now, Louise has struck up a close bond with Leo and the family are finally on a normal track, something Ryan is feeling thankful for. Describing his relationship with Louise as 'stronger than ever', Ryan shares what the secret has been to getting to this positive place: "One word: communication. I had to learn all about love languages. Louise’s love language is about quality time and words of affirmation, whereas mine is acts of service," he says.

"I stopped trying to fix everything. Once I did that, everything changed. We’re in a much better place now. Despite the challenges, we’re stronger than ever."

And if there is ever anything to iron out, Ryan says they do so in the form of "public therapy", or in other words, their podcast; He said, She said.

"Louise says she learns a new thing about me in each episode. Nothing is scripted – we hit record and talk real life. It started with parenthood but evolved into relationships and lifestyle. People now recognise us from the podcast more than TV. That authenticity cuts through. It’s like public therapy."

Now, being a dad feels much more natural to Ryan these days, too. "It took me two years to accept my role as a dad. The first two years were chaotic. But now, at three years old, he’s got this amazing personality."

Alongside being a dad and a husband-to-be, Personal Trainer Ryan still loves working in fitness, where his bread was buttered before giving reality TV a go. And in his newest project, the dad-of-one has teamed up with Powerade for its 'Pause Is Power' campaign, which encourages the public to take a pause from their daily routines.

Ryan has been using this pause, and his fresh love for running, to get himself into a new comfort zone. "Running hasn’t always been my thing. It wasn’t something I was drawn to. But after everything with Louise’s health I needed an outlet," he says.

"I was invited to do the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert, which was way out of my comfort zone. The race is meant for elite athletes, but I threw myself into the process. It gave me a new outlet. Since then, I’ve enjoyed running more."

Ryan has teamed up with Powerade for its ‘Pause is Power’ campaign, to encourage us to take an intentional pause from our daily routines.