How Sam and Billie Faiers eclipsed ‘sinister’ family life rife with abuse, drugs, guns, prison and family secrets
EVERY family has its secrets - the skeletons in the closet they don't want to ever let out.
And multi-millionaire reality TV star sisters Sam and Billie Faiers, who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex, are no different.
While the siblings have forged out impressive careers in the spotlight after years of hard-work - with Billie, 35, worth an estimated £4M and younger sister Sam, 34, a whopping £9M - their family has been shrouded in controversy.
Over the last 15 years, many of The Sun's showbiz journalists have interviewed the sisters countless times.
They are always very professional, extremely driven, down-to-earth and chatty which makes them a lovely interview.
But there's always one topic which is strictly off limits with journalists when they're eagerly promoting their wholesome mummy brands, or starring on their popular TV show The Mummy Diaries.
And that is the criminal legacy of both their violent biological father Lee Faiers, and their stepdad, Dave Chatwood.
If you dig deep enough you find an East End family tree, rooted in abuse, drugs, guns, crime and prison time, the details of which would be better suited to an ITV drama than an episode of the Mummy Diaries.
The closest either sister got to revealing the full tale was in Sam's autobiography.
She said of her biological father, Lee: "He became volatile and awful to live with."
The star also addressed stepdad Dave's criminal past, writing: "Dave was convicted for possessing large quantities of drugs and firearms."
And there's a line on how the star was affected by it all, which reads: "The trauma from her father's abuse and the subsequent family turmoil had a significant impact on Sam's mental health."
But according to insiders, her book, Secrets & Lies: The Truth Behind The Headlines, barely touched the surface.
A source said: "The real truth about the Faiers' family history is still very much OFF the table.
"It is something they really avoid talking about publicly at all costs.
“They have made a pact that somethings are too private and personal to ever be put out for public consumption.”
Sam was just 19 when she shot to fame on the brand new scripted reality show TOWIE back in 2010.
But while Sam and older sister Billie were becoming TV stars alongside Amy Childs, 34, Gemma Collins, 44, and Mark Wright, 38, their biological father, Lee Faiers, was hitting the headlines for darker reasons.
In 2011, just as their TOWIE fame was peaking, Lee was convicted of assaulting his partner June Simmons.
He was given a community service order and told to attend a domestic violence programme.
Domestic abuse - how to get help
DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence.
Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:
- Emotional abuse - Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse - gaslighting - being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to
- Threats and intimidation - Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
- Physical abuse - This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
- Sexual abuse - Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.
If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:
- on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night
- Men who are being abused can call Respect Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or on 0182 3334 244
- Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring on 0800 999 5428
- If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999
Remember, you are not alone.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.
Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.
“They have made a pack that somethings are too private and personal to ever be put out for public consumption.”
Sources close to the sisters at the time said: “They are ashamed of him and they think he has behaved appallingly but he is not a part of their life.”
Later it was revealed brave mum Suzanna Wells, 56, had walked out on Lee when Sam was just two-years-old, after becoming a victim of domestic violence.
The sisters - who have been a huge support to their mum - have had little contact with Lee since.
Opening up in her autobiography Sam revealed Lee "half strangled our mum and beat her up so badly she had to go to hospital".
But while dad Lee was very publicly disowned, stepdad Dave has remained very much a part of the family despite his criminal past.
When Billie was 12 and Sam 11, Dave was jailed for 12 years over drug supply and firearms offences, leaving Suzie to bring up the girls alone.
Police caught him with 140,000 ecstasy tablets, 130 kilograms of cannabis, and two pistols, with ammunition.
Then in 2012, Sam sat in court, alongside then boyfriend Joey Essex, to see Dave sentenced to four years for his part in £1.1 million bullion robbery.
Opening up about Dave's life of crime in her book, Sam said: "We even had to spend five years in Spain sort of hiding out with him."
Sam had to acknowledge both men's dodgy pasts in her supposedly 'tell-all' book.
But it's not the only controversy surrounding the celebrity sisters.
Night club attack
Just a couple of weeks before the court case, Sam and Billie, then aged 21 and 20, were attacked by a girl gang in a night club, and rushed to hospital for brain scans.
Sam needed a brain scan after two attacks on the same night in 2011 during which she was brutally punched and kicked unconscious.
Showing The Sun two black eyes, a split nose, lumps and bruises and scratches down her back, she recalled at the time: “I really thought I was going to die.
“They just came at me like a herd of elephants.
“It’s just a blur. I was being so violently attacked by so many girls there was nothing I could do but curl up into a ball. Then I passed out.”
We told how the beauties were first set on when they went to a nightclub early on a Sunday.
The pair were kicked, stamped on with high heels and clawed by the wild-eyed thugs.
Billie said: “I was surrounded by at least ten girls on the dance floor. Sam was nearby. Then, in a split second, I’m on the ground and there is blood coming out of my leg.
“I had been hit with a glass or a bottle.”
Sam was also knocked to the ground at the Jet Black club in central London. The violent assault continued outside as crowds gathered to watch.
Billie was repeatedly beaten to the ground.
She went on to say at the time: “I was in shock. They were calling me a slag. I kept screaming, ‘Why, why’, but they wouldn’t stop.
“They were punching me and hitting me with their high heels when I was on the ground. They pulled my hair and dragged me along the street.”
Her £1,500 Mulberry handbag was taken in the attack — containing her house keys and mobile phone. She also lost a bracelet, earrings and her shoes.
“I was surrounded by at least ten girls on the dance floor. Sam was nearby. Then, in a split second, I’m on the ground and there is blood coming out of my leg."
Billie Faiers
But a source said: “Sam and Billie's family history has always been somewhat of a black cloud hanging over their too good to be true family image.
"There’s a lot more family secrets they could have talked about but they never will.
"It is a PR nightmare for the sisters' image.
"Some reality stars would want to cash in on their family's criminal past but both sisters would prefer it was never mentioned again."
While neither Billie, Sam or mum Suzie has ever been involved in anything illegal themselves, the Faiers' family name has long had rumoured links to former East End gangs, which much of Essex is infamously built on.
Insiders claim it’s inevitable their early family life will have been touched by the criminal dealings of their family in some way.
“People forget Sam and Billie didn’t grow up in a life of luxury,” one insider told The Sun Online.
“There were tough times. There were people around them who made money in all sorts of ways.
“Their troubled childhood resulted in both sisters’ being determined to build a better future for their own kids.”
Sam is now engaged to property developer Paul Knightley, 36.
The pair met in 2014 and have three children; Paul Jr., Rosie, and baby Edward.
While Paul is notoriously private and often refused to film for The Mummy Diaries, he’s played a steady role in Sam’s life.
Fans have often criticised his grumpy on-screen manner and traditional views, but Sam has always stood by her man.
Despite never marrying, the couple live a quiet family life in Hertfordshire — with frequent breaks to Dubai, the Maldives and Mallorca.
Billie, on the other hand, is married to long-term partner Greg Shepherd, 40.
"There’s a lot more family secrets they could have talked about but they never will."
Greg became a reality star in his own right, often stealing scenes in The Mummy Diaries with his dad-jokes.
They tied the knot in a lavish Maldives wedding in 2019.
Biological dad Lee was noticeably absent, with the girls staying estranged from him since he and their mother Suzie split.
Billie was instead walked down the aisle by step-dad Dave, who is also now separated from their mum.
The married couple also have three children; Nelly, Arthur and baby Margot.
They recently moved into a sprawling £1.4million mansion.
Both their lives are now a far cry from their troubled beginnings.
