Heartbreaking way Molly-Mae tried to protect struggling Tommy Fury in painful split

As Tommy Fury opens up about the drinking problems that ultimately led to the downfall of his relationship with Molly-Mae Hague, the Mirror takes a look back at some of the clues that the boxer was struggling

Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury's shock breakup left the nation in mourning, but the full story on how their relationship crumbled remained a mystery - until now.

Dubbed Gen-Z's Charles and Diana, the Love Island power couple struggled to shut down the frenzy from fans desperate to know the reason behind their split, as their cryptic social media statements led to even more questions.

Absolutely everybody had an opinion on the matter, and even though the full story hadn't been disclosed, favour swayed largely towards the nation's sweetheart, Molly-Mae, as Tommy was forced to shut down widespread cheating rumours.

Now boxer Tommy, 25, has finally offered some insight into what really went on behind the closed doors of their Cheshire mansion, revealing that his issues with drinking were what ultimately sunk their five-year relationship.

In a candid new interview with Men's Health, Tommy, who first locked eyes with Molly-Mae, also 25, in the Love Island villa in 2019, described the cheating allegations that had been lobbed at him as "complete and utter b*******".

Manchester-born Tommy, who shares daughter Bambi with Molly-Mae, explained: "We broke up because I had a problem with alcohol, and I couldn't be the partner that I wanted to be anymore. It kills me to say it, but I couldn't. I loved a pint of beer, loved to drink."

He continued: "Cheating was never a thing. You can ask Molly this yourself. It was the drink, and the drink is not a good thing. You need to get a grip of it. If you're in the same spot as me, where you just think that it's going to cure all your problems, it doesn’t. You wake up even worse, and you want to drink more to try and feel happy again. That's the cycle of it.

"I've got myself out of that now, but I just wish people would've taken some time out, rather than giving me so much s*** every day, to think maybe there was more going on."

Here, the Mirror looks back a some of the signs that pointed towards Tommy's secret struggle...

'Major arguments'

In her 2023 memoir, Becoming Molly-Mae, My Story, mum-of-one Molly-Mae revealed that the only 'major arguments' she'd had with Tommy were over alcohol.

She wrote: "The only major arguments Tommy and I have had have been to do with him drinking, which he only does a few times a year. He won't even do anything wrong; I'll just lose it at him because I hate it. I do have this anxiety around alcohol and the things I've seen it do to the people around me - I personally don't think that alcohol adds anything good to a situation."

'Mortifying' parties

Back in November 2023, a source told The Sun that Molly-Mae had previously been left "mortified" by Tommy's antics while out partying in Abu Dhabi with singer Chris Brown, with footage showing the stars surrounded by glamorous women.

The source claimed: "Molly has made no secret of the fact she doesn't like it when Tommy parties too hard. This weekend has ended up being a real embarrassment to her.

"She was mortified when she kept getting tagged in videos while she was just trying to enjoy a festive weekend with Bambi. She has told Tommy it really has to stop now he's a dad and has told him to ditch some of his pals, who she thinks are a bad influence."

Cryptic message about 'truth'

In an October 2024 interview with the Mail Online, Tommy addressed the cheating allegations he'd had to contend with in the aftermath of the shock split. Taking a vehement stance against the accusations, Tommy hinted that there was more to the story than met the eye, warning that many one day "regret their actions and unkind words".

Tommy told the publication: "All the allegations that were made of me recently are completely false. The truth will come out in time, and when it does, I think a lot of people might regret their actions and unkind words. The whole will, I reckon."

When asked whether he had ever cheated on the mother of his child, Tommy firmly replied: "Absolutely not. I think if you were going to cheat on someone you should just sit down and say, 'I don't love you any more,' clearly because you want to go and pursue other people.

"When you get to that stage, you should just call it a day. If you want to go out there and have affairs with women then you definitely shouldn't be with your partner. Definitely not. And have I ever reached that point? No."

Shock statement

Following their bombshell split, fans were left analysing Molly-Mae's heartbreaking statement, trying to figure out exactly what she meant by the now famous remark, 'especially not like this'. Molly-Mae told followers: "Never in a million years did I think I'd ever have to write this. After five years of being together, I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way.

"I will forever be grateful for the most important thing to me now and always, my beautiful daughter. Without us there would be no her, she will always be my priority. I want to thank you all for the love you have shown us over the last five years. You have all been a part of our journey and I feel it's right to share this with you all."

Scrutinising this "measured" and "respectful" statement at the time, relationship expert Tina Wilson said: "The fact that she hasn't given a specific reason for the split could be because she is protecting her daughter and her daughter's father."

In his own statement, Tommy shared: "I am heartbroken to share that Molly & I have decided to end our relationship. The past five years have led us to having our beautiful baby girl, Bambi, and I will forever be thankful to Molly for making me a dad. Bambi is our priority." He added: "Please respect our privacy, and our families' privacy, as we navigate our way through this difficult time."

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