Back in 2023, the world watched celebrity Olivia Attwood and partner Bradley Dack planning their fairytale wedding – all the way up to exchanging vows.
Or did we?
🤍 Let’s catch you up
Olivia and Bradley got together around 2015. She rose to fame on Love Island in 2017, and their relationship – including the run-up to their wedding – was documented across multiple ITV series. The ceremony took place at the five-star Bvlgari hotel in Knightsbridge in June 2023, where Olivia wore a gown reportedly worth £300,000. Viewers watched them sign what looked like official paperwork. Olivia started using a hyphenated surname. They called each other husband and wife.
Olivia recently posted an Instagram statement saying that after ten years together, a televised wedding and a shared surname on social media, she and Bradley Dack have split. She revealed he cheated on her multiple times throughout their relationship and said that she covered it up, arranged therapy and believed the apologies. Olivia described her experience as “Utterly humiliating.”
Instagram – Olivia
💍 The marriage that wasn’t
The hotel where they got married on camera didn’t have a marriage licence at the time. Their wedding planner had reportedly tried to obtain one but couldn’t secure it. An appointment was booked to complete the legal paperwork at a registry office in Cheshire six weeks later – but it was cancelled.
The suggestion is that during those six weeks, Olivia uncovered a number of mistruths in the relationship, which led to her being unable to follow through with making the marriage legal.
No record of their wedding can be found at the General Register Office – the official archive of all marriages in England and Wales.
So for nearly three years, they lived as husband and wife, publicly and on television, without the legal paperwork to match.
Sources say Olivia’s inability to trust Bradley was what prevented her from legally binding their union. Whether that was a deliberate financial decision or a consequence of discovering betrayal early, only she knows. Either way, it turns out it may have been the smartest thing she did.
💰 What does this mean financially?
Despite popular misconceptions, “common law marriage” is not a legal concept in England and Wales.. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived together for two years or twenty – cohabiting couples don’t have the same legal protections as married ones.
What that means in practice:
If you live with your unmarried partner and you separate, you have no automatic right to their financial assets – such as money, investments or pensions. And vice versa. On the other hand, those who are married are entitled to claim half of all financial assets, whether in a separate or joint account.
If a separating couple are unmarried, the right to any financial claim is limited to property, and even then only where ownership and contributions can be demonstrated.
In Olivia’s case, by not legally marrying, she retained full control of her own earnings, assets, and career income – none of which Bradley would automatically have a claim to.
Olivia’s earning potential as a presenter, podcaster and social media star almost certainly outstrips Dack’s as a lower division footballer.
Did Olivia in fact want to remain financially separate?
📋 What you can do to protect yourself
Whether you’re married, cohabiting, or somewhere in between, here’s some things to think about:
If you’re not married: A cohabitation agreement sets out what happens to property, assets, and finances if you split. You should also make a Will, because if you die without one, your cohabiting partner may inherit nothing. This is not a romance killer – we promise!
If you own property together: Make sure both names are on the title and document any financial contributions you make, such as deposits, renovations, mortgage payments. A trust can exist based on financial contributions and behaviour, but the party without documented ownership will be responsible for proving it.
If you’re married: A prenuptial agreement won’t override a court’s judgement in England and Wales, but it is taken into account – especially if both partners had independent legal advice when signing. In Scottish law, prenuptial agreements are followed by the courts, so long as there has been full financial disclosure and independent legal advice before signing.
As the number of older marriages increase, we often come into relationships with existing assets – it makes sense to try and protect them where possible.
Have we been deceived?
Honestly, it’s literally none of our business. Sources suggest this move was more due to a gut feeling about trust on Olivia’s part rather than a strategic financial decision. The end result is likely an easier untangling of relationship finances than if they were actually married.
This isn’t necessarily an advertisement against marriage – but it’s really important to be fully aware of the legal implications of being, or not being, married.
The content produced by Financielle is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice.