2023 was quite the year for podcaster Sophie Habboo and the year to come shows no signs of slowing down. The former Made in Chelsea star, 30, married her boyfriend of four years and fellow MIC alum Jamie Laing, 35, in not one, but two gorgeous ceremonies including the Spanish getaway of dreams. But as she launches a new activewear line with USA Pro, Sophie is looking to the future.
The star of the hit podcast NewlyWeds sat down with HELLO! to exclusively chat about her love of fitness and the exciting new ventures she has planned for an already jam-packed year. Sophie tells us that her new partnership with USA Pro was a no-brainer from the beginning. "I have always been into gymming and working out mostly for the endorphins, I just love the way it makes me feel as well as the health benefits and recently more so it's become a real staple part of my life," she says. Even when she is not in the gym, Sophie loves to wear activewear but she found her existing workout gear wardrobe uninspiring. "I live in gym kit," she says, "I didn't have a particularly nice gym kit, especially gym kit that is that affordable because it's all so expensive now so I thought it was the perfect collaboration and I'm so excited and really happy with the pieces."
© USA ProIn creating a gymwear collection from scratch it was important to Sophie that she had a hands-on approach to bringing the pieces from the sketchbook to the hanger. She tells us: "I worked really closely with a design team at USA Pro and we all felt the fabrics, we chose the colours, the design, the fit, and the designer was incredible. She made everything come to life and it looks insane and all the fabric is really durable. Sophie also tells us that they did the all-important squat test to ensure she can relax when working out in her pieces. She adds that her favourite pieces are in the core edit. "It's so soft and so luxury and it's all seamless, she tells us. "And I love the desert and the green colours."
© USA ProSophie reveals that although she is now a keen gym-goer and passionate about durable gym wear that women feel confident in, she didn't always have the motivation she has harnessed in recent times. "I used to do classes and I am hypermobile and I was always injuring myself," she reveals. "So I got a PT and we now do resistance and strength training and now I enjoy going to the gym so much. Where before it was like I went because I knew I would feel amazing afterwards but I didn't love going, now it's like 'Oo yay!'." She says that plenty of stretching is her key to a great workout and though she loves her husband Jamie dearly, it is a solo workout that Sophie enjoys most.
© USA Pro"He's a real runner, he's such a good sprinter and I really don't love running," she admits. "I'm not fast, I'm very slow and he's like 'come on, go faster!' vibes. So we go to the gym together but I take it at my own pace, I do my own thing. I like working out and having that time to myself." Sophie explains that taking time for herself and getting active is important for her mental wellbeing as much as it is for her physical. Sophie tells us, "I love listening to podcasts, just zoning out when walking. I love walking at the moment, it's the best time to calm yourself down and it's almost like meditating." Though she is the star of two incredible podcasts, she says The Therapy Crouch with Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy, The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett and The Mel Robbins Podcast make for her picture-perfect wellness walk.
© InstagramShe adds that she also loves to carve out me-time when at the gym, taking a break from her PT sessions to unwind in the sauna. "I sauna as much as I can which I find so relaxing," she reveals. "I do box breathing in the sauna, breath in for four, hold for four, breath out for four and I do that for 15 minutes and then I feel amazing afterwards."
© InstagramSophie's brand new collection with USA Pro is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her 2024 plans. Having just returned from an amazing sun-soaked romantic getaway with Jamie to Miami and Turks and Caicos, Sophie has plenty more travels on the horizon and they are extra special adventures. "Loads of my friends are getting married and they're getting married abroad so I have Rome, I've got Lake Como, I've got Spain again," she tells us. "I'm going back to where we got married for someone else's wedding in the same area so loads of trips for weddings! It's the year of love."
© InstagramThe newlywed also looks forward to taking the popular podcast that she co-hosts with Jamie on tour. NearlyWeds, as was, documented the ups and downs and every laugh along the way as Sophie and Jamie planned their stunning two-part wedding last summer. Now the podcast has taken on a new life, and a new moniker, as the NewlyWeds podcast explores Sophie and Jamie's life as a married couple and it is set to take the country by storm after their sold-out live show at London's Union Chapel last year. Sophie says, "This year is very exciting and fun. We've got our tour coming up, the NewlyWeds tour and I'm not going back to Made in Chelsea but just continuing to do lots of different projects, lots of different collaborations and the tour will be a really big part of the year so I'm excited for that." After her success presenting the red carpet for Wonka last November, Sophie also confirms that presenting is a passion she would love to explore further in 2024.
© GettyFor now, she looks forward to expanding NewlyWeds and the lifestyle podcast she shares with fellow ex-MIC star Melissa Tattam, Wednesdays. With taking NewlyWeds into the New Year, Sophie says it is all about thinking outside the box. "We recently recorded us having a driving lesson and there might be some records of us doing trips away so taking you guys with us so not always being in the studio so trying different things to make it as interactive as it can be for you guys, so you guys get the scoop into the journey with us. So that will be fun," she reveals. With Wednesdays, Sophie tells us that her and Melissa's aim is to create a space that women can go to with their problems.
© Instagram"We have had some really interesting guests on [sex educator Ruby Rare and dream psychologist Ian Wallace, to name a few] and we are trying to hone in on specific subjects that we think that our listeners would really want to hear about and get experts in in that area. So that is something that we really want to focus on this year so people when they're worried or want answers on something, our podcast can be the hub for those answers. Whether it be fashion or skincare or nutrition," the 30-year-old says.
© GettyThe coming year is also an exciting one for Sophie personally. She tells us that she and Jamie are looking to buy their dream home and we can only imagine how stunning it will be given her current minimalist haven. "It will be a fun project for us both," Sophie says, letting us in on her passion for interior design as she waits to get to work on a new London pad. "I would absolutely love to have a family one day so that's very exciting," Sophie reveals but for now her focus is on her and Jamie enjoying their first full year of marriage and loving every second of the time they can spend connecting whilst recording their weekly episode. "I actually personally prefer doing [NewlyWeds] now as opposed to when we were talking about planning the wedding because it is all about our relationship and there's no planning or stress or pressure so I love doing the podcast every week now," she admits.
DISCOVER: The best fitness classes in London - tried and tested by team HELLO!
Listeners will know that Jamie and Sophie have the most fun-loving relationship imaginable and it is this light-hearted time spent together, Sophie says, that is the secret to their happy marriage. "Honestly I find him so funny and we are so outrageous with each other. I don't know what language we speak with each other but I find it very funny. We're always laughing, I think that's the key."
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