From OnlyFans to modelling, what British YouTubers including Zoella are up to now
We all shed a tear or two last week when we saw the news that YouTube stars Zoe Sugg (Zoella) and Alfie Deyes were finally engaged.
The duo, who had been dating for 11 years, share Ottilie Rue Deyes, two, and are expecting another baby together in December.
They were part of the "Brit Crew" of YouTubers, who, in their 2014 heyday, had fans swarming them at events including Hello World, which, though controversial, had thousands of ticket sales.
Their "collab" videos on social media also got millions of views and they sold a plethora of products, from beauty items to books. Now, the group, which also included Marcus Butler and Tanya Burr, are "all grown-up".
Here, we take a look at what your favourite internet stars are up to now…
Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes
The Internet power couple first got together in 2012, after previously telling viewers they'd be "disgusting" together. For a while, the duo, known as "Zalfie" by fans, lived near each other on Brighton seafront before buying a house together in 2014.
Since, they've moved to a £1.5 million mansion near Zoe's brother Joe Sugg and his Strictly Come Dancing star girlfriend Dianne Buswell.
During their YouTube heyday, Zoe, now 33, released two fictional ghost-written books as part of the Girl Online series which charted the life of a young woman living in Brighton.
Her videos garnered millions of viewers and thousands of subscribers- . She spoke about beauty trends, did funny challenges with her friends including Louise Pentland and also videoed her daily life.
As her success grew, she released products with Zoella Beauty and did a series of events.
Now, she still films her life for her 4.94 million subscribers and works on brand partnerships and collaborations while raising Ottie with Alfie.
Their family is growing in December as they welcome baby number two. They've also celebrated their recent engagement on holiday in Greece and Alfie turning 30.
Meanwhile, Alfie has been posting videos on YouTube for 14 years. He started his channel under the name PointlessBlog and racked up plenty of subscribers and views on his videos.
He's also collaborated with a number of other stars including Niomi Smart and Jim Chapman.
Like Zoe, he released several books and was involved in a series of projects including a video with Ariana Grande.
Now, he still films his life and posts on YouTube but largely focuses on bringing up Ottie and releasing products for his Future Self coffee and clothing brands.
Joe Sugg
Although papers labelled Joe "Zoella's brother" in many of the articles about him, he's a star in his own right these days.
He was known for his "Sugg Sunday Specials" on YouTube, which garnered him millions of viewers and followers. Joe, who used to work as a Thatcher before his online videos, had the username ThatcherJoe.
After his Strictly Come Dancing appearance in 2018, Joe, 32, found love with his partner Dianne Buswell.
He's now focusing on other projects such as presenting the Strictly podcast and has made several appearances on shows including Great British Bake Off and Would I Lie To You.
Pushing himself out of his comfort zone, he also starred in Waitress as Ogie for three months in 2019. He and Dianne live in a mansion in Brighton, near his sister and Alfie.
Now, he rarely posts on YouTube, instead doing art work and focusing on entrepreneurship. He is also a keen gardener and released a book all about it in 2022 called Grow.
Marcus Butler
While Marcus, 31, has stepped away from YouTube, he was one of the original stars in the social media platform's heyday.
He and Alfie collaborated on a number of videos and he used to date school sweetheart Niomi Smart, who featured on his channel and had her own YouTube.
The star was part of the YouTube boyband which also included Jim Chapman, Caspar Lee, Joe Sugg and Alfie Deyes.
They performed a cover of "It's All About You(tube)" with a YouTube twist for Comic Relief.
Marcus released his own rap song and was known for his catchphrase "heelloooo". Now, since splitting with Niomi in 2015, he's dated model Stefanie Giesinger.
Although they've parted ways, he lives out in Berlin still and walks the catwalk himself. He's also a DJ and works with clothing brand Ante.
The star, who posts outfit pictures on his Instagram page, has an OnlyFans account that he started in 2022. Fans have called for him to come back to YouTube over the years- but he hasn't.
Niomi Smart
The influencer, 31, did a psychology degree but decided to venture into YouTube at the same time as Marcus.. She documented her plant-based life and focused on wellbeing and health content.
Although she split from Marcus in 2015, she didn't stop YouTube and still posts videos for her 1.5 million subscribers. She's also got a podcast which she posts clips from on the platform.
Now, she's engaged to Irish influencer Jamie White and splits her time between Bali, London and Dublin. Before that, she was with Joe Woodward, son of former rugby star Sir Clive Woodward.
They were also set to tie the knot but their relationship didn't work out. Niomi uses Instagram to promote her company Smart Skin these days and also shows followers pictures of her jet-setting lifestyle.
Louise Pentland
One of the most popular mummy vloggers is Louise, now 38, who began her YouTube journey under the username SprinkleOfGlitter.
She used to be best friends with Zoe and they documented their fun days out together with Louise's daughter Darcy, now 11, who they gave the nickname "Baby Glitter" at the time. Louise had Darcy with first husband Matt Watson, who she split from amicably.
Louise and Zoe seem to have drifted apart since their days out together but she's still posting on YouTube, sharing "mum hacks" and talking about life as a mother to Darcy and Pearl, five, who she had with her fiancé Liam O'Neill in 2018.
She also uses TikTok where she often jokes about her "old age" and the things she doesn't understand from the Gen Z world.
Her TikTok has more than 113,000 followers and 2.3 million likes and regular commenters tell her that her videos give them nostalgia for the "Brit Crew" YouTube days.
The social media platform has also seen her touch on more serious topics like grieving for her mother who died from cancer when she was seven and dealing with life after a childhood of abuse.
Jim Chapman
He's still on YouTube and has 2.08 million subscribers- but he doesn't post so much. In the heyday of the internet platform, Jim released several books and products.
He collaborated with his friends and also went on trips with them to places like Disneyworld, vlogging the experience.
These days, the 35-year-old is a model and a writer who is bringing up daughter Margot and baby son Jesse with wife Sarah Tarleton.
Sarah, 30, who is also a model, went public with her relationship with Jim in 2019. Jim was previously with YouTube star Tanya Burr for 12 years and they were married for three years.
Jim and Sarah live with their children in a beautiful house in South London and share videos of their family life on his channel.
They attend events together and both regularly collaborate with brands on their Instagram pages.
Tanya Burr
The influencer, 34, was inspired to get into YouTube by her sister-in-laws at the time- Sam and Nic Chapman- Jim's sisters.
She'd been working in makeup and saw their channel pixiwoos was picking up followers and views. Although she's now stepped back from YouTube, she garnered millions of followers on the platform, often collaborating with Jim.
Since their divorce in 2019, she's got a boyfriend who she has never publicly named and they've had son Sage together. She keeps their faces off her social media but posts pictures of their adventures around the world.
In the past, she's ventured into acting and modelling but now focuses on brand collaborations, TikTok and bringing up Sage.
Caspar Lee
Larger than life Caspar, who is South African, has focused on entrepreneurship in his life after YouTube. He owns student accommodation in South Africa and runs the business Influencer.
Although he doesn't really post on YouTube anymore, he still has 6.63 million subscribers. He and Joe Sugg also run influencer management Margravine Talent Agency and worked on Joe and Caspar Hit The Road together in the past.
In the days when he regularly posted videos, one of his trademark challenges was Brain Freeze. In it, he'd make stars sit in a freezing cold ice bath and answer questions.
Unsurprisingly, due to the Baltic temperatures, people always struggled to concentrate and get the answers correct. They could only leave once they'd got one right.
Caspar is now engaged to influencer Ambar Driscoll, who originally met him at a fan meet and greet and has been with him since 2018 after he reached out on Instagram dm's.
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