If you lived in Australia in 2013, you were no doubt absolutely enthralled with Big Brother season 10. We will take no arguments, it was THE season of the franchise to watch, and for one very good reason…. or, should we say, two very good reasons.
Of course, it was the relationship between Tully Smyth and Anthony Drew that took the nation by storm. So we’ve taken a look back at what exactly happened between one of reality TV’s most controversial couples, as well as what the pair are up to now.
All we can say is… strap yourself in for a wild ride.
WATCH: Big Brother’s Ben gets awkwardly caught between Tully and Drew’s argument
Tully Smyth, 34, entered the Big Brother house already in an over-two-year relationship with a woman named Tahlia Farrant when she met Anthony Drew, 33. The influencer has since confessed that, although she was taken, the attraction was instant.
Speaking on her podcast, Too Much Tully, in November 2020, the former Big Brother star confessed, much like Taylor Swift, she knew Drew was “trouble” when he walked in.
“In walks this 6″2”, tall, dark, and handsome, bright blue eyes kids, and honestly, hand on my heart, Taylor Swift’s song Trouble had just come out before we went in the house and that sh*t started playing in my head”.
Drew, on the other hand, had a slightly different impression of Tully. Speaking on the same podcast, the model had this to say about what he thought of his former flame: “She was loud and complained and cried”.
Despite this not-so-flattering recollection of events, the pair still managed to strike up a hot and heavy romance in the Big Brother house.
Of course, while Tully and Drew were getting on like a house on fire, there was the slight issue of the then-social-media-strategist’s girlfriend on the outside, who wasn’t too happy with what was playing out on screen.
After seeing her long-term partner get a bit too close for comfort with a fellow contestant, Tully’s girlfriend Tahlia took to Twitter to speak about what was going on in the house.
“Thanks for your concern, but I am a big girl. I will be just fine. Life goes on,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, voluntarily sequestered Tully remained blissfully unaware that she had just been dumped as she continued her rendezvous with Drew.
However, it didn’t take long for the then-25-year-old to be booted from the show, at which point she had to face the music. While some viewers were hoping to see Tully’s live reaction to the news that her girlfriend had ended their relationship, it was understandably left to the show’s psychologists to break the news to Tully professionally and compassionately.
Many viewers, however, were unable to do the same, hurling criticism after criticism at the Big Brother evictee as she navigated the outside world. Drew, on the other hand, stayed in the house mourning Tully’s absence… that is, until she was brought back into the house for one very memorable challenge.
As we all know, whatever Big Brother says goes. For one challenge back in 2013, the games-master’s omniscient voice would spontaneously bellow through the house, demanding that contestants “freeze” – an order which, of course, they would obey.
At one moment (which should go down in the reality TV hall of fame for how much it had us all on the edge of our seats), the task-master ordered his pawns to freeze right when Drew was conveniently standing near one of the house’s doors. The model did as he was told just before the entrance began to open and his former flame Tully walked right back into his wake.
What happened next would most certainly not air today.
Striding up to Drew, Tully planted a big smooth on the then-24-year-old’s frozen lips before proceeding to whisper in his ear, albeit through a microphone, “by the way, I’m single.” She then turned on her heel and left the house once more.
Although confessing to Big Brother that he had so many questions running through his head, Drew had a bit longer to wait to get the answers he so desired as he ended up staying right until the end of the competition, placing runner-up overall.
Once they were both out of the house, Tully and Drew finally took their relationship public. But things didn’t last long.
WATCH: Tully Smyth and Drew Anthony reunite in the Big Brother house (Article continues after video)
Yep, apparently the Big Brother love haze wore off after three months, at which point Tully told OK! Magazine that the pair had broken up. “It was a lot of pressure living in different states, and the regular couples’ issues seemed to be magnified being out of the house,” Tully said.
And so, where are Australia’s most controversial couple these days?
While Tully is currently an Instagram influencer, blogger and podcast host, Drew is still rocking his man bun as he continues to thrive as a model. Although they lead separate lives, it just so happens that the pair reunited on the influencer’s podcast, Too Much Tully, in November 2020.
During the candid chat about their Big Brother experience, the former reality stars admitted that they “almost talk(ed) code” about Tully’s girlfriend Tahlia while in the house due to the fact that, unlike the other housemates, they were unable to sleep with their microphones off.
Speaking about their relationship outside of the house, Drew claimed their short romance “wasn’t real”. Tully agreed, adding that they were their “true, authentic, rawest versions” of themselves while they were on the show and “that’s how they fell in love”. But, after it all, they claimed they got too distracted with the glitz and glamour of the post-reality show fame.
“We got caught up in it, and before we knew it, we had fallen apart,” Tully admitted, adding, “I’m forever going to wonder if we would have worked out, I think that will be one of my life regrets.”
As to their relationship now, it seems that Tully and Drew are on slightly different pages at the moment.
“We’ve never really fallen out of touch,” Drew said in the podcast, an assessment, to which, Tully disagreed with, stating, “Drew has had a lot of relationships since us, whereas I haven’t, so I’m always open to being friends and keeping the line of communication open and it’s sometimes harder for him. Apparently a lot of his ex-partners don’t like me. It’s bizarre”.
And, of course, the questions on everybody’s lips: is there a chance of the pair ever getting back together?
“You’re not cheap to run,” Drew joked to Tully in the same chat. “I think it would cut down our life spans considerably.” The podcast host, however, didn’t answer the question.
What’s more, in news that has delighted OG Big Brother fans, Tully and Drew are expected to reunite in their old stomping ground as they re-enter the Big Brother house for its Back To The Future spin-off. But if the first look is anything to go by, it seems Drew may fall for a different contestant this time.
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