Kelly Brook, the English model and actress who captivated audiences on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007, has experienced one of the most scrutinized love lives in British entertainment. While recent searches for stories about Brook calling off weddings due to feeling “manipulated” have circulated online, the reality of her romantic journey tells a different, yet equally compelling story of resilience, heartbreak, and eventual happiness.
Kelly Brook’s Strictly Come Dancing Connection
Kelly Brook’s association with Strictly Come Dancing began in 2007 when she partnered with professional dancer Brendan Cole for the show’s fifth series. Her time on the BBC dance competition was marked by both triumph and tragedy. Brook and Cole delivered memorable performances, including a sensual rumba that had judges commenting on their chemistry. However, her journey was cut short when her father, Kenneth Parsons, died of lung cancer in November 2007. Initially determined to continue dancing in his memory, Brook ultimately withdrew from the competition in week nine, finding it too difficult to perform while grieving.
Brendan Cole and dance partner performing on Strictly Come Dancing in a ballroom setting independent.co
Years later, Brook would reflect on her Strictly Come Dancing experience with insight about why the infamous “Strictly curse” occurs. In a 2018 interview, she explained: “When you sign on, bosses are like, ‘Oh you just need to do a few hours a week’ and then when you start, it actually does take over your life and you realize that you have to put in like eight hours a day. You want to give it your all and you just end up living with this person pretty much, all the time”. This understanding of the intense bonds formed during the show provides context for the romantic entanglements that have become synonymous with the series.
A Pattern of Cancelled Engagements
Brook’s romantic history is characterized by high-profile relationships and multiple cancelled engagements, each ending for distinct reasons that reveal the complexities of maintaining relationships in the public eye.
Kelly Brook’s Relationship Timeline: From Strictly Come Dancing to Marriage
The Jason Statham Years (1997-2004)
Kelly’s longest and perhaps most significant early relationship was with action star Jason Statham. The couple dated for seven years from 1997 to 2004, during which time they became engaged. Their relationship spanned Statham’s early career before he became a major Hollywood action star. Brook later reflected on how she changed during their time together, telling Hello! magazine: “I’m not the same as I was when we met. I’m a lot more complex now. A lot more high maintenance. And sometimes you don’t know what you want until it hits you”. The relationship ended in 2004, before Brook’s appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.
Kelly Brook and Billy Zane at a formal event related to their past relationship alamy
Billy Zane: Love Interrupted by Loss (2005-2008)
Following her split from Statham, Brook began a relationship with Billy Zane, the Titanic actor, in 2004 after they met on the set of survival thriller “Three”. Their romance quickly intensified, leading to an engagement in February 2005. The couple lived together in a £1 million farmhouse in Kent and planned a wedding. However, their engagement was ultimately called off in April 2008.
The reasons for the split were deeply personal and tied to the tragic loss of Brook’s father during her Strictly Come Dancing stint in 2007. Sources revealed that Brook decided she was “too young to marry” the 42-year-old Zane after much soul-searching following her father’s death. The split was described as “completely amicable,” with the couple remaining good friends. Brook later admitted they had initially postponed their wedding due to media attention, telling reporters: “The reason we didn’t get married this year was that we felt there was too much fuss being made and we wanted it to quieten down first”.
Rugby Romance and Heartbreak: Thom Evans (2010-2013)
Brook’s relationship with former Scotland rugby international Thom Evans began in late 2010 and proved to be one of her most emotionally challenging. The couple’s romance was marked by both hope and heartbreak, including two tragic miscarriages. In March 2011, Brook announced they were expecting a baby girl, but sadly suffered a miscarriage in May. The couple attempted to conceive again, but Brook experienced a second miscarriage before Christmas 2011.
The relationship ultimately ended in early 2013, reportedly due to Evans’ discomfort with Brook maintaining contact with her ex-boyfriend Danny Cipriani. Despite there being “nothing going on” between Brook and Cipriani while she was with Evans, Thom “hated the fact she was seeing him and Kelly refused to end their meetings”. After “one row too many,” the couple decided to end their two-year relationship.
The David McIntosh Whirlwind (2014)
Perhaps Brook’s most controversial engagement came with former Gladiators star David McIntosh in 2014. Their relationship moved at lightning speed – they met on New Year’s Eve and were engaged by March after just 12 weeks of dating. Brook described being “shocked” by how quickly things progressed, admitting: “I think it took both of us by surprise, to be honest, how quickly things have progressed”.
Kelly Brook and David McIntosh walking on the beach during their relationship digitalspy
The engagement generated significant media attention, with Brook planning a reality show about their wedding preparations. However, the relationship proved as short-lived as it was intense. By September 2014, Brook announced on Twitter that she and McIntosh were “no longer engaged”. While no specific reason was given publicly, reports suggested the split involved infidelity concerns. Brook deleted all photos of McIntosh from her social media accounts, signaling a definitive end to the relationship.
Finding True Love: Jeremy Parisi and Marriage
After a pattern of cancelled engagements and heartbreak, Brook found lasting love with Italian model and judo expert Jeremy Parisi. Their story began in 2014 when Brook slid into Parisi’s DMs seeking fitness advice while she was in Los Angeles. She later described it as “love at first sight”.
Kelly Brook and Jeremy Parisi at a formal outdoor event, possibly related to their 2022 wedding in Italy hellomagazine
Their relationship developed more slowly and steadily than Brook’s previous romances. In a playful reversal of traditional roles, Brook proposed to Parisi during a romantic sunset at Shirley Heights in Antigua, but he turned her down because he was embarrassed by the public setting. “I said to Jeremy, ‘Will you marry me?’ and he said, ‘Be quiet there are people around!’ So I tried to propose but he said it was too busy and told me to be quiet!”
Despite the rejected proposal, the couple eventually became engaged and married in July 2022 in Arpino, southern Italy, Jeremy’s hometown. Their wedding day provided its own dramatic moments when biblical rainfall forced them to move their ceremony indoors to an ancient tower. Brook later described the day as being “like something out of a sitcom” but called it “magic” and “the best thing I have ever done”.
The Reality Behind Manipulation Claims
Despite extensive research, no credible recent reports exist of Kelly Brook calling off a wedding due to feeling “manipulated” by a Strictly Come Dancing star. The various cancelled engagements in Brook’s past each had distinct, documented reasons – from personal growth and grief to infidelity concerns and practical incompatibilities. Her eventual marriage to Jeremy Parisi in 2022 represents the culmination of her romantic journey rather than another cancelled engagement.
Brook’s experience on Strictly Come Dancing, while influential in her life due to the timing with her father’s death, was not connected to any romantic manipulation or cancelled weddings. Her relationship with dance partner Brendan Cole remained professional, and she has spoken positively about the experience despite the personal tragedy that cut it short.
Life After Marriage
Since marrying Jeremy Parisi, Brook has embraced married life and continues her media career, co-presenting Heart London’s drivetime radio show. The couple recently appeared together on Celebrity Race Across the World, describing their five-week journey through South America as an alternative honeymoon. Brook reflected on how marriage has changed their dynamic: “We have been together for a long time but being married changed things. For us, we definitely think more as a couple when it comes to the future and everything”.
Lessons from Kelly Brook’s Romantic Journey
Kelly Brook’s relationship history offers insights into the challenges of maintaining romance in the public eye. Her multiple engagements and eventual successful marriage demonstrate that finding the right partner often requires patience and self-discovery. Each relationship taught her valuable lessons about compatibility, trust, and personal growth.
Her willingness to be open about her romantic struggles, including miscarriages and cancelled engagements, has made her relatable to many fans facing similar challenges. Brook’s story ultimately becomes one of resilience and hope – proof that even after multiple heartbreaks, lasting love is possible.
The fascination with Brook’s love life reflects broader cultural interests in celebrity relationships and the belief that public figures should provide entertainment through their personal struggles. However, Brook’s eventual happiness with Parisi suggests that sometimes the most interesting story is simply finding peace and contentment away from drama and headlines.
Through her journey from Strictly Come Dancing contestant to happily married woman, Kelly Brook has shown that while the path to love may be complicated and public, authentic connections can ultimately triumph over speculation and scrutiny.