Revealed: Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett proposed to his yoga guru girlfriend on a family holiday to Morocco... as new details of their very unconventional on off then on again romance emerge | Retrui News | Retrui
Revealed: Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett proposed to his yoga guru girlfriend on a family holiday to Morocco... as new details of their very unconventional on off then on again romance emerge
SOURCE:Daily Mail
The multi-millionaire Diary of a CEO podcaster (left), 33, popped the question to French-Portuguese yoga entrepreneur Melanie Lopes (right) on Christmas Day in the historic city of Marrakech.
Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett proposed to his wellness guru fiancée on a luxury trip to Morocco with her whole family, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The multi-millionaire Diary of a CEO podcaster, 33, popped the question to French-Portuguese yoga entrepreneur Melanie Lopes on Christmas Day in the historic city of Marrakech.
Pictures posted by the family on social media show the pair beaming and sharing a dune buggy to tour the desert in a convoy with who appear to be 33-year-old Melanie's parents, sister and brother.
Other intimate snaps show the group enjoying traditional Moroccan food, as well as camel rides, scenic walks, a luxurious spa trip and a visit to a non-profit which trains disadvantaged women in cooking.
It is not clear whether Steven's parents and three older siblings, who he is still close with, joined the African getaway. They have been approached for comment.
Announcing the engagement earlier this week, after an on-off ten-year relationship, Melanie shared a photo of her dazzling oval-cut ring, estimated to be worth around £200,000, as she held his hand, captioned: 'Mon amour.'
This comes as details of their very unconventional modern relationship emerge - with the pair living thousands of miles apart on opposite sides of the world as they pursue their careers.
Indeed, neither has indicated where they will call home after their nuptials, with Steven, who is worth £320million, based in LA and Melanie spending much of her time in Bali.
The multi-millionaire Diary of a CEO podcaster (left), 33, popped the question to French-Portuguese yoga entrepreneur Melanie Lopes (right) on Christmas Day in the historic city of Marrakech
Snaps posted by the family on social media (pictured) show the pair beaming and sharing a dune buggy to tour the desert on their African getaway
The couple (centre back) travelled in a convoy with who appear to be 33-year-old Melanie's parents, sister and brother (pictured)
Living a free-flowing, nomadic lifestyle, Melanie is the founder of a wellness business called Bali Breathwork which sees her put on high-end meditation, yoga and breathwork retreats not just on the Indonesian island but across the world.
Greece, Portugal and Cape Town, in South Africa, where she spent two months at the end of 2024, are just some of the other glamorous locations Melanie has run her business from.
And she is showing no signs of slowing down, with her next event set to take place in April.
The retreat for 'awakened women' will see 20 yogis gather in Sri Lanka, paying up to £1,750 each for a place on the week-long trip.
A self-described 'student of the body and its infinite wisdom', it will see her guide attendees to 'reconnect with your sensuality and feminine power' by drawing on the 'unique energy' of three Hindu goddesses.
The yoga nomad is also certified in a range of other wellness practices, such as reiki, hypnosis and 'somatic experiences'.
Social media posts of previous events emphasise connecting to sexuality, with Melanie recalling her advice to one participant on reinstating intimacy with her partner.
'In your gentleness, you are able to communicate and really create the interaction you desire,' she explains.
Clips of her work show her instructing women in female-only cuddle puddles, vigorous group and solo dance, and mass meditation sessions at spiritual festivals.
The entrepreneur also offers 90-minute online breathwork classes, at £35 each, as well as a set of three 20-minute ‘8D’ daily meditation videos, for £83.
She also used to run a beauty and wellbeing business called Auraya, which sold gemstones and skincare equipment, like facial rollers and gua sha tools.
Melanie has also previously created a raw and vegan recipe book, as well as a sports and nutrition guide called Booty Academy.
She has dabbled in art too, helping create an immersive soundscape installation called Breathscapes at the Illusionaries gallery in London’s Canary Wharf, for up to £21 a ticket.
Despite a relationship lasting almost a decade, albeit on and off, Steven and Melanie have only shared snippets of their life together over the years.
Having met through Instagram in 2016, the pair were initially together for a year before splitting as he focused on building his business empire.
Around this time, she was travelling the world, sharing glamorous snaps online of her time in Bali, India, the Dominican Republic, Paris, New York, and on a farm in Australia.
Having not founded her breathwork business yet, she was working partly as a lingerie model, posing up for Instagram snaps, some of which saw her kiss other female models for show.
She also took on a number of wellness-focused brand deals around this time, promoting products, including an aphrodisiac canned drink made with 'Horny Goat Weed', from various sun-soaked locations across the globe.
For many years, speculation abounded about Steven's sexuality and relationship status, as a young, wealthy man, yet never seen with a partner.
He addressed the rumours in 2021, in a YouTube video on the topic, 'Can you be successful and be in a relationship?'.
Other intimate snaps show the group enjoying traditional Moroccan food, as well as camel rides, scenic walks (pictured, Melanie, front, with her family), a luxurious spa trip and a visit to a non-profit which trains disadvantaged women in cooking
Announcing the engagement earlier this week, after an on-off ten-year relationship, Melanie shared a photo (pictured) of her dazzling oval-cut ring, estimated to be worth around £200,000, as she held his hand, captioned: 'Mon amour'
Living a free-flowing, nomadic lifestyle, Melanie is the founder of a wellness business called Bali Breathwork which sees her put on high-end meditation, yoga and breathwork retreats (pictured) not just on the Indonesian island but across the world
And the businesswoman (pictured) is showing no signs of slowing down, with her next event set to take place in April
Clips of her work show her instructing women in female-only cuddle puddles (pictured)
She can also be seen dancing solo in videos shared online (pictured)
Melanie has also previously run mass meditation sessions (pictured) at spiritual festivals
She has dabbled in art too, helping create an immersive soundscape installation (pictured) called Breathscapes at the Illusionaries gallery in London’s Canary Wharf, for up to £21 a ticket
The entrepreneur explained: 'I've never really told any of you guys if I'm gay or straight or single or bi or taken, and so here is the answer – I'm straight and I'm single.'
But all that changed in an earth-shattering moment Steven has previously spoken of, when he realised he had made a mistake and wanted to reunite with Melanie – flying 22 hours to Bali, where she was running a retreat at the time, to win her back.
She was in another relationship at the time – but reportedly, after spending four days with Steven on the paradise island, she 'fell for him all over again'.
He fought off his love rival and the pair have been together ever since, with Steven confirming publicly in 2022, on his live podcast arena tour, they were in a 'long-term' relationship.
But even though they met on Instagram, Steven barely appears on Melanie's account, apart from in some snaps of a glamorous group trip in LA last year, in a wider video round-up of 2024, and in a glancing reference to their shared love of running.
Since they went public with their relationship, Steven has spoken about his fiancée a number of times, including on a recent episode of his podcast, in September, where he joked she will 'live until she's 150' because of how good her diet is.
He is not afraid of public displays of affection either, telling the Daily Mail in 2024 he surprised his girlfriend with a limousine full of red roses for Valentine's Day – before a joint online therapy session later that night.
'We'll talk about the relationship; what works and what we hope to improve,' he said. 'Then dinner.'
This came two years after he serenaded her at the opening date of his live arena podcast tour in 2022, at the London Palladium, after announcing they were officially together.
He had a gospel choir sing I'll Be Loving You Always by Stevie Wonder as heart-shaped confetti fell, reducing her to tears as she watched on with her brother from the Royal Box.
The entrepreneur has previously been full of praise for his fiancée, who he said helped him overcome the 'trauma' of seeing his parents constantly argue as he grew up.
Steven moved to the UK from Botswana at the age of two, growing up in Plymouth with his Nigerian mother Esther, English father Graham and three older siblings, Mandi, Jason and Kevin.
Life was not easy, he confessed to the Daily Mail, with Steven shoplifting pizzas to survive and lying in shame about the street he lived on as the family struggled for money.
He struggled with racism at his state school in a predominantly white, middle-class area of Cornwall and was eventually expelled for failing to attend classes or hand in homework as he focussed on his first business ventures as a late teen, organising school trips or parties for a cut of the profits.
Steven then went on to drop out of university at 18, after one lecture, to pursue his ambitions as a businessman.
He fell out with his parents, particularly his mother, who was 'heartbroken' after believing Steven had thrown away the education she never had growing up.
Even though they met on Instagram, Steven barely appears on Melanie's account. Pictured: Steven makes a rare appearance on her page, in a wider video round-up of 2024
They can also be seen together (centre left and second right) on the app in some snaps (pictured) of a glamorous group trip they took with friends in LA last year
Around the time the pair met, on Instagram in 2016, Melanie was travelling the world, sharing glamorous snaps online of her time in Bali, India, the Dominican Republic (pictured), Paris, New York, and on a farm in Australia
Having not founded her breathwork business yet, she was working partly as a lingerie model (pictured, right) in this period
She would often pose up for Instagram snaps, some of which saw her kiss other female models for show (pictured, right)
She also took on a number of wellness-focused brand deals around this time, promoting products, including an aphrodisiac canned drink (pictured) made with 'Horny Goat Weed', from various sun-soaked locations across the globe
The couple (pictured) were initially together for a year when they met in 2016, before splitting up as Steven focused on building his business empire. But when he realised he could not live without her, he flew 22 hours to Bali to win her back - and the pair have been going strong ever since
The entrepreneur has previously been full of praise for his fiancée, who he said helped him overcome the 'trauma' of seeing his parents constantly argue as he grew up. Pictured: Steven as a baby with his parents and three siblings
He told the Daily Mail of Melanie (pictured, with Steven): 'I had a set of evidence about relationships from my childhood. By the way she conducts herself she changed that'
But Steven went on to find success with his social media marketing agency, The Social Chain, which was valued at £300million when it first entered the stock market.
And he gushed on social media last year at how happy he was that his success enabled him to provide for his family – and spend time with his brother Jason, who works for him.
'I want them to be proud of me. I never want them to worry. I want my parents to know that I appreciate their endless love and decades of complaint-free sacrifice,' he said.
Despite his close family relationships now, though, his past left him with wounds Melanie helped him heal.
He told the Daily Mail: 'I had a set of evidence about relationships from my childhood. By the way she conducts herself she changed that.
'She showed me relationships aren't about being trapped in a cage or robbing you of your freedom. Growing up, there wasn't a lot of physical affection, so she taught me that as well.'
He continued: 'I want to be a great dad. That's the next big challenge. My older brother Jason has three children under six and he has shown me what it is to be a great father.'
It was a marked change from his claims in his 2021 memoir Happy Sexy Millionaire, in which he said marriage and co-habiting were not for him and words like 'soulmate' drive him mad.
Steven appears to share his fiancée's keen interest in wellness – but he has previously found himself in hot water several times over controversial investments he has made in the sector.
In 2024, on Dragon's Den, he offered Giselle Boxer, from Sheffield, £50,000 for 12.5 per cent of her company Acu Seeds, which sold the £30 gold-plated ear seeds she claimed helped heal her ME.
But the BBC and Ofcom received hundreds of complaints from doctors and experts in the chronic fatigue condition, saying her claim to a potential cure using alternative medicine was scientifically unfounded.
The broadcaster eventually pulled the episode from iPlayer and Steven's brother and business partner Jason, who had served as the company's director, resigned.
Steven has also previously been accused of spreading misinformation on his chart-topping Diary of a CEO podcast.
The BBC found in 2024 the host had been allowing guests to make harmful health claims – including that cancer can be treated with a keto diet, rather than proven treatments – with little or no challenge.
Steven's production company said at the time guests were offered 'freedom of expression' and were 'thoroughly researched'.
'The Diary of a CEO [DOAC] is an open-minded, long-form conversation… with individuals identified for their distinguished and eminent career and/or consequential life experience,' it added.
The show platforms a range of perspectives, the firm said, 'not just those Steven and the DOAC team necessarily agree with'.
In the same year, two Facebook adverts for wellness companies featuring him were banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for not disclosing he was an investor.
The firms in question were Huel, a meal replacement company, and Zoe, which offers users a personalised nutrition programme using diabetes-style blood sugar monitors.
Representatives for Steven have been contacted for comment.