Influencer Lilly Sabri returns to social media 18 months after bachelor party ‘affair’

A British fitness influencer whose wedding was called off after her fiance’s alleged “cheating” was exposed on a popular podcast has finally spoken out about the moment her relationship “blew up in front of millions of people.”

Lilly Sabri, a popular content creator with over 6 million followers, ended her engagement to Alex Tyrwhitt in November 2023 after his alleged “affair” came to light on an episode of The Girls Bathroom Podcast.

The couple, who lived in Dubai at the time and were joint owners of the cult fitness brand Lean With Lilly, weren’t named by the podcast but sleuths quickly speculated the segment was based on Sabri and her partner of almost six years.

Thousands of people messaged Sabri to expose her fiance’s alleged “cheating,” with the influencer waking up at 6am the morning after the podcast episode aired to hordes of messages.

Just days later, the social media star issued a statement confirming the couple had “broken up” as the result of “encounters” with another woman Tyrwhitt allegedly met on his bucks night.

Then Sabri went dark, completely disappearing from social media.

But now the 36-year-old influencer has returned with an update on her life as well as a warning about sharing intimate details of your life online.

“The last year and a half has been incredibly challenging, and at times, it got dark. I didn’t know how I’d make it through,” she wrote on Instagram.

“18 months ago, I woke to thousands of messages and comments on social media after a podcast went live in the UK. That morning, my world fell apart. Everything I had known and trusted blew up in front of millions of people.”

She went on to state that while she’s been off social media, she has been “fighting” for the business, adding she could now confirm her ex was no longer involved.

“I am the sole shareholder of LEAN @leanwithlilly @lean.foods and even more importantly, I am a much happier, healthier and better person,” she said.

“[It] wasn’t a quick or easy process. Things had to change and immediately. I couldn’t afford to keep my team. I had to step into their roles myself, fighting to keep everything afloat.”

“My mental and physical health took a massive hit and I needed time away from the public eye.”

“Now, I’m delighted to be able to say that after the very tough times, LEAN is in a great place.”

Many fans were quick to offer support and praised Sabri for how she “handled” herself.

“We adore you Lily, welcome back,” one shared.

“So proud of you. You’re an incredible woman and you have handled such a tough time with so much grace. I can’t wait to see what you achieve next,” another shared.

As someone else declared: “That was a tough moment in your world and you will be an inspiration for those going through similar challenges.”

Sabri’s glamorous life in Dubai fell apart when a listener apparently wrote in to the podcast asking for help about her friend who was “in love with an engaged man.”

Hosts of The Girls Bathroom, Sophia Tuxford and Cinzia Baylis-Zullo, had read out the letter during their “girl talk” segment, on an episode titled: “My best friend is in love with an engaged man.”

The woman, who gave her bestie the false name of Sarah, went on to explain she’d been travelling through Europe when she’d met a group of men on a buck’s night during Yacht Week, a week long floating festival in Croatia.

Despite the fact the young man, named as Bryan in the story, was the groom-to-be, Bryan and Sarah were claimed to have grown very close.

The pair are alleged to have flown to multiple locations to meet up, and spend “the whole day in bed” in various hotel rooms, despite the fact he is engaged to a woman named as Jenny.

When Sarah returned home to Australia, Bryan even flew out to be with her, the friend claimed, sharing her frustration at her pal’s apparent bad decision-making.

While the podcast hosts had made efforts to protect identities of those involved, internet sleuths were quick to speculate Jenny and Bryan were Sabri and her then-fiance, due to several seemingly minor details, including how many followers the unknowing fiancee had and the fact the couple involved also apparently lived in Dubai.

Following the speculation, Sabri – a qualified physiotherapist – issued a statement addressing the claims.

“There has been speculation about my personal life and relationship, sparked by a podcast released on Wednesday November 8,” she wrote, adding she wanted to “provide brief clarity on the situation.”

“I woke up to messages about a podcast episode discussing a relationship involving a newly engaged man, meeting a woman on his stag do, and subsequent encounters.”

“It’s heartbreaking to confirm this is true, and discovering it in this way has been devastating.”

“Alex and I have broken up, and I need time to process what feels like an absolute whirlwind and what I can only describe as my world falling apart.”

Tyrwhitt has never addressed the allegations publicly.

In an interview with the BBC to mark her return to social media, Sabri said the whole experience had left her with a message for anyone sharing personal details of their life in exchange for followers and engagement.

“Be mindful about what you’re sharing, because once it’s online, it’s online forever,” she said.