From the moment Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo connected on “Made in Chelsea,” their relationship has unfolded in the public eye, with audiences witnessing every facet – the triumphs, the tribulations, and the outright challenges.
Their on-screen romance blossomed into the “NearlyWeds” podcast following their engagement, which later rebranded as “NewlyWeds” after their marriage.
Now, they’re inviting viewers into their next chapter: pregnancy and parenthood, in a new three-part documentary.
“Raising Chelsea” chronicles the couple’s journey as they try to conceive, navigate the highs and lows of pregnancy, and adapt to the early stages of parenthood.
For many, the notion of filming and broadcasting such intimate moments, including the actual birth of their child, would be inconceivable.
However, for Laing and Habboo, it felt like a natural progression, an extension of the connection they’ve already established with their audience by inviting cameras into this deeply personal chapter.
“People are used to following our journey, so documenting this and having an audience come with us felt really natural and fun,” Habboo said.
Their commitment to authentic reality TV influenced the filming style of “Raising Chelsea.” Eschewing a traditional multi-camera setup, Habboo explained, “we only had one camera, so it was very vlog style, and there are lots of times I didn’t know we were even filming.”
She added that she quickly “forgot the cameras were there,” leading to arguments unfolding as they normally would, only for Habboo to later “worry about it afterwards.”
Laing, who also founded the sweets brand Candy Kittens, said this approach was intentional: “If there were three cameras and a set-up, it feels forced.”
“We wanted to capture everything, and I wanted to make sure it was really real, so you see everything,” he said.
“Even when things happened that were intense, we kept it in because we made a deal.”
He tells the BBC that withholding anything would defeat the purpose.
“There is nothing off limits – I don’t like the idea of a filtered version of ourselves; it’s not true, authentic, or real,” he reflected.
“Everyone has arguments, bad moments, good moments, feels up or down, and capturing that is real life.”
They wasted little time in sharing these moments, with the documentary airing less than four months after the birth of their son, Ziggy.
Their willingness to share didn’t eliminate moments of hesitation about where to draw the line, if at all.
At times, they draw that line in different places – Habboo is more instinctively protective of privacy, while Laing is more comfortable letting even the most personal moments play out on screen.
“There are moments where it’s a lot,” Habboo admitted. “You can even hear me in the show saying ‘I’m not doing this’ at certain points.
“If I had my way, there would be things off limits, but I never get my way.”
When the pair launched their podcast in 2021, the 31-year-old said she wanted “to put my best foot forward” and preferred that some things be edited out.
“I didn’t want people to hear the nitty-gritties of our relationship.”
However, she was rarely in the edit, and “Jamie made sure every episode kept everything in, which was horrifying.”
Habboo adjusted quickly, and the “reaction from listeners was that they loved it and felt connected, like they weren’t alone.”
“So going into this, I thought we had to keep that authenticity,” she continued.
“I’m happy we did it that way because I love reality TV; I’m the biggest fan, but I feel like today everything is so produced and constructed, which is a shame for the viewer.
“There’s not much authentic TV out there, so we wanted to create something real.”
That level of exposure comes at a cost; such openness invites opinion and criticism, and Laing acknowledged that “you have to have thick skin if you’re going to do this.”
He said he’s learned this over time, while Habboo “is still developing it.”
Laing laughed as he recalled one particularly cutting comment. “Sophie thought she’d read the Daily Mail one day, and the first comment was: ‘Why does she look like an Afghan hound?'”
“There are so many comments like that,” Habboo said. “People asking what’s wrong with my eyebrows. They’re evil; they’re so mean. I don’t know what they’re going to say when they see me pregnant.”
It is the willingness to show both joy and discomfort that underpins their documentary – Laing describes himself as “more anxious,” while Habboo admits she is “worse on no sleep.”
There is playful debate over who changes more nappies. “I do,” Laing insisted, met with visible disbelief from Habboo.
Their differences continue in their parenting styles – Laing called Habboo the stricter of the two, a claim that surprised her. “She has routine,” he said. “I’d let him eat chocolate.”
Yet beneath the teasing is a clear sense of partnership, and they reflected on how they have grown together.
“I thought we were strong,” Laing said. “But we’ve become even stronger.”
“So there’s no divorce yet; we’re saving that for season two.”
“Raising Chelsea” is available to watch on Disney+ now.
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