After two years, Ollie Locke is finally returning to Made In Chelsea next week. But he won’t be alone. The much-loved reality star is returning with his best friend Binky Felstead{
Ollie tells us he's back on E4 for a variety of reasons, though. He says he wouldn’t be back without Binky, who is now mum to two-year-old daughter India. ‘It was a real discussion, and it shockingly took place over red wine. I asked her, “Do you miss the days?” And she was like, “Well yeah, I do kind of” and I very openly said to her I need my Binky time every now and then: ridiculous time getting drunk.’
While he was away from Chelsea, Ollie - who is a trained actor - worked on his burgeoning acting career. Last year, he starred as Fabian in Steve Coogan’s film Greed. And he tells us that since leaving Chelsea, he auditioned for _The Crown. 'Y_ou'd be surprised how crazy that contract was,' he explains. 'I had to sign like three NDAs: even to audition you had to sign NDAs'
He also got down to the final two to star alongside Vanessa Hudgens in the Netflix film The Knight Before Christmas. ‘When Chelsea came up, although I was very much a Chelsea person, I was a Chelsea struggling actor,’ Ollie explains. ‘And it was a chance for me to be on television, but all these years later I've grown up and now I'm 33. I started my contract at 23, and now I'm really 33 and so I decided if I wasn't gonna get back into acting, I need to get back into it at some point.’
‘So I've gone back to Chelsea because it’s fabulous,’ he adds. ‘But also it's in that same position where I'm acting, but I have to do stuff in the interim.’
But Ollie also feels like he owes it to audiences to tell his story, as he prepares to get married and discusses the potential of starting a family with Gareth. ‘I almost owe it to the people that have watched the show now to show what is potentially one of the most exciting periods of my life,’ he says, 'it's seeing me much older, the slightly ridiculous Union Jack stuff is gone, and now we've grown up with it and it's a real discussion we're having as adults.'
‘Everything's the same in a straight relationship in a gay relationship,’ he adds. ‘So we're having the same discussions. Now we've got the legalisation of marriage and the ability to have children and stuff. It's just a very interesting time to talk about this.’
Binky and Ollie are back in Made In Chelsea on E4 on March 23.
READ MORE: 12 Times We Fell In Love With Ollie Locke. Oh, How We've Missed Him