Strolling hand in hand beside a picture perfect lake, ex-Blue singer turned actor turned scriptwriter Lee Ryan and his fiancée Sammy Millar are doing what they like to do best messing around together and enjoying a seriously good laugh.
Quick witted and full of humour, 25 year old Lee's career is taking off in all directions, and pinning him down to chat about his engagement to Sammy, also 25, and the impending arrival of their first baby is a feat in itself, bearing in mind his ridiculously hectic schedule.
Not only has he just come to the end of a gruelling run performing in The Pretender Agenda in London's West End, he's also been busy putting the finishing touches to a screenplay he's written. On top of that, he's just appeared in a Celebrity edition of TV's Come Dine With Me and is set to return to the studio shortly to record a new solo album, while his second movie, The Heavy, in which he stars alongside the likes of Christopher Lee, Vinnie Jones and Sadie Frost, is about to his our screens.
Gone are the days when he was constantly falling out of the nightclubs, providing regular fodder for the tabloids. For this is a reformed Lee Ryan, the remarkable change being down to one woman, his sparky girlfriend Sammy, a make up and skincare consultant.
'As soon as she came into my life I knew what I wanted she was different from anyone I'd ever met' he says, planting a big kiss on her forehead.
The couple have even taken to calling each other Mum and Dad in anticipation of parenthood. 'It's the most exciting thing that's ever happened to either of us. We both know there's nothing more important than family' says Lee.
In between frenetic engagements, the couple spoke to HELLO! at Glencot House in Somerset about their relationship and plans for the future.
HELLO!: There are certainly some fairytale elements about the way you got together. Tell us how it all comes about.
Sammy: The extraordinary thing is that I was never a fan of blue. I just happened to click onto Lee's Myspace site and wrote something really stupid like, 'May I pinch your bum?' I couldn’t believe it when he actually replied.
Lee: I said something like 'Why not?' I was just messing around. Then I looked at her pictures and thought, she’s rather cute and sent her my number that was it, we just started talking.
HELLO!: Is it because Lee was living in the US it took you so long to meet in person?
Lee: It's mad, but every time I suggested meeting she couldn't make it. I remember when I came over to record Hell's Kitchen I asked her to come along- I even suggested she brought her parents too, but she refused that as well.
Sammy: I didn't want the first time we met to be on Hell's Kitchen! Finally we met at the Hilton in Shepherds Bush exactly a year ago.
Lee: It was love at first sight, from both sides.
HELLO!: Didn't Lee's well documented reputation as a serial womaniser put you off Sammy?
Sammy: Of course not. I just thought, I'll meet him and make up my own mind! And I've made up my own mind and I've decided I want to marry him! I love absolutely everything about him. I trust him 100 per cent. He's completely loyal and devoted to me. He's my soul mate. He's very definitely the best friend I've ever had.
HELLO!: Where did you propose, Lee?
Lee: It was crazy. We were walking through Sainsbury's and I got down on one knee in the cheese aisle with a Haribo ring, took her hand in mine and asked her to marry me.
Sammy: I do like things that are different and I said yes immediately. We couldn't stop laughing.
HELLO!: When was it you decided to start a family?
Sammy: Once he moved back from states we were inseparable and immediately started talking about having a baby.
HELLO! Magazine: Do you know yet whether you're having a baby boy or girl?
Sammy: Yes, we’re having a boy and we're so excited.
Lee: You're the first one to get that information, as we haven't told anyone yet!
HELLO!: Any ideas yet as to what you'll call him?
Sammy: All along we've been planning to call him Rain. Now I'm not sure.
Lee: I still love the name – Rain Amethyst Ryan. It sounds great.
HELLO!: Where will the baby be born?
Sammy: In Oxford at the John Radcliffe Hospital, where I was born. Like Lee I'm a real family person. I still live at home with my mum and dad. Lee lives there too while we look to buy a house of our own.
HELLO!: Where are you looking?
Sammy: We've just found this gorgeous three bed roomed house in a little village near Burford in the Cotswolds.
HELLO!: In what ways do you think your son’s upbringing will differ from your own, Lee?
Lee: I grew up in Plumstead. It taught me how to be streetwise, but I saw a lot of things I shouldn't have things that can mentally scar a young child. I'm now looking forward to the idea of our child behind brought up in a beautiful area like the Cotswolds and to learn to appreciate the beauty of nature. And I want to teach him how to play the guitar.
HELLO!: In what way do you see your career going these days, Lee?
Lee: Music will always be my first love but I've always been into script writing and acting. I'd like to have a career involving my family. I don't want to be so busy that I don't have time for them. Family will always come first there's nothing more important.
From : ALLRISEFORLEE.NET
