Lydia Bright breaks down in tears over 'beautiful' reaction to going public with Italian chef boyfriend Francesco after secretly dating for a year

Lydia Bright has broken down in tears as she expressed how 'grateful' she was to the 'beautiful' reaction to her going public with her new boyfriend Francesco.

The former TOWIE star, 35, had been secretly dating the Italian chef for a year and over the weekend, she finally opened up about her new romance as they celebrated their first year together. 

And reflecting on the feedback she received over her relationship, Lydia couldn't help but get emotional, revealing how she was overwhelmed by the huge amount of lovely DMs she had. 

Taking to her Instagram stories on Monday after coming out of her bath, Lydia filmed herself as she said: 'I'm reading through some of my DMs while I was in the bath.... I don't know why I'm getting emotional! I'm very hormonal at the moment guys. 

'I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has sent me lovely messages over the last 24 hours. I don't know why I'm crying...

'But I just feel like, everyone has just been so kind to me... on my post, in my DMs, what is the matter with me?'

As she continued to wipe away the tears, the star continued: 'I'm just so grateful for all your messages, they're so beautiful. It just feels so nice to just get this news and the reaction has been overwhelming but in the best way.'

The mother-of-one told how she and Francesco were laughing as they couldn't believe how many people have been invested in their romance story, with Lydia noting that  three million people had seen her post.

Then, in a mock Italian accent, she impersonated her boyfriend, saying: 'I can't believe it, it's like the whole of Milan has seen this post!'

She concluded: 'It's just crazy but I just wanted to say, thank you so much. Love you lots.' 

Lydia went public with Francesco after she had revealed earlier this week that her new boyfriend was moving in with her after her ex Ben Davies moved on with Jesy Nelson.

She confirmed her split from ex Ben in January 2025 after getting together the previous year at one of her ex-boyfriend James Argent's gigs together.

Sharing a sweet selfie of them together, she penned: 'A whole year of us.

'I want to apologise for keeping such a big part of my life private for so long. So many of you have followed me for years, through so many different chapters. But I really felt the need to protect something that was still growing and when the time came to introduce the two people I love most, I wanted to give their relationship time to grow before sharing ours to you.

'And here we are… a whole year later and I have so much to write.

'Our first date was this month last year and lasted FIVE hours. I remember coming away from it fascinated by him. His life, his stories, his passion, his outlook on life and I loved that he was Italian:) I tried so hard not to get carried away, but after throwing myself into dating in 2025 and waiting for that feeling, I knew this was special. So second date I text Debs saying “I have met my husband”:D

'The beginning of our relationship was slow. Francesco has a V busy schedule, so between his career, mine & being a full-time mum, we both had busy lives. But as each week passed I remember us both counting down the days until we saw each other again. Every little window we had, we made count and we have had so many romantic adventures.

'And then summer came, bringing the most important chapter introducing the two loves of my life and suddenly the simplest moments in life felt just as special. Cooking at home, teaching Loretta to ride her bike, watching Disney movies on the sofa. Despite not spending lots of time around children he just got it, patient, loving, playful, all of this made me fall in love with him even more.'

She continued: 'The years of just me and Loretta have been some of the happiest, strongest and most fulfilling of my life.

'I thrived being a single mum but I knew that there would be room for someone else if they were special enough and he is that. Such a beautiful part of our world, my romantic, beautiful, old soul.

'I’ve learnt, life doesn’t always happen in the order you imagined it would. But you can find happiness in all the chapters. 

'I wouldn’t change a thing, as it led me here and maybe the love you find as you grow is a little more special because of everything you’ve learnt along the way.'