Adam Collard confesses real reason for postponing wedding to age-gap fiancée Laura Woods

After making a name for himself as a Love Island lothario, Adam Collard has settled down with his sports presenter fiancée Laura Woods and is in his element as a dad to their son Leo, eight months. And after getting engaged last September, Adam tells Mirror that he and Laura are planning a 2026 wedding - which is delayed from their original plans.

The pair have recently moved house and are renovating their dream home, something which has contributed to the wedding delay, “We’d started to plan [the wedding] but now we’ve moved house we’re going to do it nearer our new place. It’s on the back burner at the moment, but it’s going to be a 2026 wedding."

But revealing that he suspects their nine-year age-gap has something to do with Laura pushing the date back, Adam laughs, "I honestly think Laura is delaying it until I turn 30 so we’re both in our thirties for it!” It comes after fellow new dad Mark Wright shared his big 'disappointment' after holiday with baby Palma and Michelle Keegan.

Adam says that becoming a dad to their son Leo has changed everything for him, as he shares, "I’ve got a purpose now, whereas for years I felt like I was in limbo,” says Adam of becoming a dad.

Describing Leo as “100 miles an hour”, the Celebrity SAS star continues, “He’s a handful but so funny and everything we’ve ever wanted. Being a dad is great, but it’s challenging, too, I’d never sugar-coat that. But it’s put everything into perspective. I’ve not got a lot of family members that I’m close to – unlike Laura. Both my mum and dad have been missing at different stages of my life. But I want to compensate for that and be the best I can possibly be for Leo.”

Describing TNT Sports presenter Laura as a natural mum, Adam says, “She was born to be a mum. Laura fell pregnant quite early on in our relationship and it feels like she was meant for it in every sense. I started my own businesses at 21 and went on Love Island at 22, but it always felt like I was working hard, going on holidays, doing all these material things, with no one to share it with.

"Laura’s the same, we now realise why we work hard. We’ve just bought another house and it’s probably going to be the home where Leo grows up – we now realise what the point is. I’m one of two and Laura’s one of three, so we’re arguing over whether we want two or three kids. Hopefully the next one’s a girl and we can stop there.”

The couple have been together since October 2023 after meeting online, and welcomed Leo less than two years into their relationship. The pregnancy came after Laura suffered a miscarriage earlier that year, something Adam says was tough for him to process. “I blamed myself for the miscarriage - so much happened in the space of a few months, it was all too much to process.

First, a chandelier smashed on Laura’s face – we were in Newcastle and drove straight to London for help because we wanted the best plastic surgeons – so we were driving as she was bleeding and it was a do-or-die type situation.

Then we told friends and family that we were expecting at around 11 weeks – but the safe time to tell people is generally from 12 weeks – and four days later we found out we’d lost the baby,” recalls Adam.

“I think men are really bad at not speaking about miscarriages and just pretending we are okay – but it’s hard. If someone’s sick, I’ll try to get them to hospital, or if my family struggles, I can give them money. But with this, I had no control. It’s the only time when nothing in my power, no shame, no money, nothing could help.”

Adam also developed an addiction to painkillers around that time, which spun the business owner into a dark place mentally. The tough time is when he was approached to take part in the new series of Celebrity SAS, which was filmed last June, as Adam says he used the show as a way to get out of the rut, “I’ve spoken about my addiction to painkillers, which saw my mental health dip. I nearly pulled out of SAS because I didn’t feel my strongest, mentally.

"But, I spoke with Laura and realised that when anything bad happens, the best thing is to have something to focus on. People will see an emotional side of me, which they’ll be surprised about because it’s not the hard exterior I had the last seven years I’ve been on TV. The show was a bit of a saving grace.”

Adam describes the show, which is currently airing on Channel 4, as an “amazing” experience. “I like how it’s not ‘produced’, when we’re in there, it doesn’t feel like a TV show. It wasn’t easy, though. The final few days were tough – interrogation alone was harder than the full week before, they peel the layers off”.

This softer side of Adam is one he’s looking forward to the public seeing, and a far cry from his 2018 Love Island image.

“Everyone’s followed my relationships since I was 21 and they’ve been right about me – until they were wrong. Laura was the change. I always knew I had it in me but until I found that girl, I was always going to be ‘that’ guy. I was just a stupid, immature boy before. On SAS, people see the family man, the caring side, which has always been there deep down.”

And when it comes to doing more TV in the future, is there anything on Adam's bucket list? "I was away for nine days on SAS, and Laura said, “There’s no way you’re going to do I’m A Celeb for 21 days,” because she knows I’d love to," he laughs. "But I think she’d be fine as long as she’s not pregnant. I’d like to do the jungle. I’ve got two left feet, so Strictly or Dancing On Ice would be my worst nightmare – more scary than SAS!

Celebrity SAS is currently airing at 9pm on Sundays and Mondays on Channel 4.

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