Made in Chelsea’s Sophie Hermann on her dating ‘hell’ as she makes emotional 8-word statement about men

Made in Chelsea star Sophie Hermann is returning to the E4 reality series after three years and in an exclusive chat, opens up about her 'despicable' dating life

Sophie Hermann is set to make a dazzling comeback to Made In Chelsea after taking some time out, all inspired by close chum Ollie Locke and his husband Gareth. Chatting about her return, Sophie says: "It's always the gays! They convinced me and it felt like the show needed it, in my opinion," adding, "We're injecting some OG goodness into the whole thing right now."

Known for not holding back during her MIC run, Sophie famously accused Maeva D'Ascanio of "spitting" on her fur and quipped that Jamie Laing's love life took a dive, going from "caviar to catfish" by dating Sophie Habboo. The 37-year-old socialite has made her bold return to the reality staple but insisted that she wouldn't film with Maeva, who she notoriously clashed with on past episodes. "I'm not filming with people who spat on my mink. No mink spitters," she says. "It's in my contract. Grandma's mink is getting out unscathed this time."

During her break from the drama of E4, Sophie concentrated on expanding her fashion line and beauty brand, while also prioritising her future as a potential mum by freezing her eggs. She reveals her proactive approach towards family planning, saying: "I froze seven eggs last year, so that was a big thing for me. I was banking my egg cells, that's good to do for the future," stressing how championing women's health and rights stays high on her list. Presently enjoying the single life, Sophie isn't desperate to mingle, especially given how she finds the capital's dating scene utterly, in her words, "despicable".

"Dating has changed so much. Something happened to men. I want to be protected, I want an alpha. It's very hard to find someone with bigger balls than me," she confesses. "I am still looking for that person and it's not a lack of offers it's what's on the menu. I didn't stay alone for this long to then settle for something that's not enough."

Following her split from DJ Tom Zanetti, whom she met on Celebs Go Dating in 2021 and parted ways with just six months on, the celeb declares, "I've just stopped waiting for the perfect prince I still want him but I'm just making my own dreams come true. It's sad, but at the same time I would be sadder if I was in a relationship where I wasn't completely happy. I always cry more when I'm with a boy rather than when I'm by myself."

Sophie adds that she's been disillusioned about marriage by observing her friends, sharing, "I see a lot of my friends settle for something and they're just not happy. They're having affairs or having other problems, like mental health problems or addictions. It's disheartening to watch. I am still like Rapunzel, waiting in her tower with her Russian extension piece to throw down. I'm a hopeless romantic and I do think that my person is out there. Dating is hell, especially in a big town like London."

Yet Sophie's spirits remain high, with her pal and previous MIC star Olivia Bentley spurring her into the world of speed dating. Sophie recounts: "Myself and Ruby [Adler] went on a hunting spree. We didn't want to waste time so we decided to be convinced by Liv to go on a speed dating session. I left the speed dating session not with a boyfriend, but with a bagpiper and that's extremely useful to me for my Scottish-inspired clothing collection with Glamoda."

Sophie is returning to a very different Made in Chelsea, with her friends settling down and starting families. "I filmed with Ruby and Miles [Nazaire] and it's fun to see how they've developed over the last three years they've definitely grown up a little bit," she explains. "I'm a godmother to Cosima, so I've been showering the babies with everything that a practical parent wouldn't buy. 'Would you like a Victorian swimming costume? I can make that happen.'" She adds: "It's a lot of fun and fashion! I'd been seeing a lot of polyester and spandex on the show and I wasn't sure if this was Love Island or Made In Chelsea so I had to come back and rectify it."

Sophie is also the godmother to three year old Gaia Grace, the daughter of her former co-star Victoria Baker-Harber and ex-art dealer Inigo Philbrick. Inigo, a convicted fraudster, was handed a seven-year prison sentence in 2022 after he conned people out of £80 million in an art scam. He tied the knot with Victoria earlier this year following his early release.

"I'm still close with Victoria she's living in Rhode Island now and living a very different life, but we speak once a week," Sophie shares. Was she invited to the wedding? "No! She called me on the day and was like, 'Surprise!'" Sophie reveals. "Maybe I should go over there and find myself a nice Mormon man or something."

When quizzed about any other TV show she'd fancy being on, Sophie weighs up her options. "I'm A Celeb is one thing my second biggest fear after plane crashes is spiders. It would be my absolute hell," she admits. "With Strictly I can't dance. I've got as much rhythm in me as a German loaf of bread, so that would be a challenge. However, I would love to do Who Do You Think You Are?" She concludes, "I just want to find some aristocracy in my family tree. Just a title then my life would be complete. A little bit of blue blood."

Made In Chelsea is back on Monday at 10.20pm on E4.