“Please cut this scene!” Sam Faiers burst into tears and pleaded, but it was already too late… Even though she already has three children, Sam Faiers is still hoping for a proposal from her partner Paul

“Please cut this scene!” Sam Faiers burst into tears and pleaded, but it was already too late… Even though she already has three children, Sam Faiers is still hoping for a proposal from her partner Paul — but Paul’s response made Sam break down in tears live on television! A secret that the heartbroken Faiers had tried to hide for decades was finally exposed right in front of thousands of viewers, and fans can’t stop talking about what Paul said…

When Sam Faiers released her ITV reality series The Baby Diaries in 2016, it was supposed to be an intimate look at The Only Way Is Essex star’s journey through pregnancy to childbirth and parenthood.

It instead turned out to be rather more revealing about Sam’s relationship with her partner, Paul Knightley. The camera crew caught Paul throwing a tantrum when Sam didn’t strain his spaghetti bolognese the way he wanted. He also stormed out of a pregnancy class because he disagreed with C-sections, refused to move in with Sam when she was six months’ pregnant and asked Sam to stop breastfeeding their three-day-old son so she could make him beans on toast.

It is fair to say the ITV show wasn’t the best look for Paul, with fans branding him ‘lazy’ and ‘unsupportive’.

But Sam, who dearly loves Paul, leapt to his defence and the couple are still together almost a decade later. They now have three children: Paul Tony, born in December 2015; Rosie Elizabeth, born in November 2017; and Edward, born in May 2022.

But friends are worried about Sam, 34. For, despite being together with Paul for 11 years, there has been no wedding – nor is there any sign of an engagement on the horizon.

It has led to speculation among those close to the couple that Paul, a property developer who Sam met in trendy Essex restaurant Sheesh in 2014 when she was at the height of her Towie fame, simply doesn’t want to get married.

They also blame Paul for taking Sam, who is worth £9million thanks to her wellness brand Revive Collagen and social media sponsorship deals, away from Essex to Surrey.

‘Paul has always seemed controlling. He’s the head of the family, and that’s that,’ a source said. ‘Sam seems to go along with what he wants a lot. It’s a very traditional power dynamic.

Sam Faiers and Paul Knightley on This Morning in 2018. The Only Way Is Essex star has repeatedly defended her partner amid accusations he is ‘lazy’ and ‘unsupportive’

The pair with two of their children, Paul Jr and Rosie, at a Lego store in London in August 2022

Paul caused controversy by kissing his mother, Gaynor, on the lips during The Baby Diaries

‘The reason they haven’t married seems to be that it’s all about keeping her on her toes. So many people wondered what she was doing with him. They still do.

‘Some even believe that it was Paul who took her away from her friends in Essex. And of course they call their first-born son Paul after him and Tony, which is his brother’s name. He wanted a son and heir.

‘They may not be married, but their finances are intertwined and they have several companies where they are both directors so they might as well just do it.’

However, Sam has – and friends say always will – jumped to Paul’s defence when it comes to claims he is controlling. She said in 2016: ‘He’s just very particular about what he likes.

‘The thing about Paul is that he cares about me so much that people mistake that for being controlling. He just wants me to be my best, look my best, have the best career I can. He’s genuinely interested, whereas most blokes aren’t.’

Yet Sam was once desperate for a proposal from Paul, and said on her reality show in 2019: ‘When I’m 30, I want to be married. That is two years.’

In another episode, Sam decided to prank Paul with a fake proposal. She held up a card which read: ‘Will you…’

Paul’s relief was palpable when Sam flipped the card over to reveal the next message: ‘Make dinner for me?’ But he later fumed: ‘I know she tries to be funny, but it’s not a funny joke.’ He then added that his answer would have been no.

Sam in Los Angeles with Kim Kardashian’s hairstylist Chris Appleton, promoting her company

‘It felt very cruel,’ said one friend.

Another factor in Paul’s reported reluctance to propose could be his beloved mother, Gaynor, with whom he is extremely close. So close that Paul was shown kissing his mother on the lips in The Baby Diaries.

The kiss sparked a furore online. But two years later, during an interview on This Morning, Paul revealed he had no regrets: ‘I don’t find anything wrong with it. I’m really close to my mum. It’s just something I’ve always done and will always continue to do.’

Many suggested it was ‘proof’ that Paul’s reluctance to marry Sam was due to him being ‘tied to Gaynor’s apron strings’.

Sam and Paul began dating after she split from her fiancé and co-star, Joey Essex.

The couple uprooted from Brentwood to their £2.25million ‘dream home’ in Surrey in 2020. It was a move that put distance between Sam, her friends and her family.

But Sam’s friends hope the tables have now turned.

After all, they say, she has established herself as a slick businesswoman – with some saying marriage is no longer one of her priorities.

Her collagen company has been so successful that it is now stocked in US stores and has brought in more than £28million in revenue since launching in 2020. Sam has jetted across the world to promote the brand, alongside A-list ambassadors such as Amanda Holden and Kim Kardashian’s hairstylist Chris Appleton.

Sam regularly uses social media to promote the brand, but Paul doesn’t feature in her work posts. Meanwhile, Sam hasn’t appeared on Paul’s Instagram page since November 2022.

Friends close to Sam say she has now got ‘her dream life and doesn’t feel she needs the “wife” tag any more’.

And one added: ‘We just hope she knows how successful she is – without him.’