Back in 2013, Tully Smyth left her girlfriend of two years to enter the Big Brother house, where she met Anthony Drew.
In a headline-generating, MAFS-level scandal, Smyth and Drew grew close in the house, and Smyth cheated on her girlfriend, Tahlia Farrant.
Watching along with the nation, Farrant dumped Smyth via Twitter, and eventually, Smyth and Drew got together officially, only to break up a few months after filming the show.
Now, Big Brother Australia is set to reunite ex-lovers Smyth and Drew in the house, for all of us to watch. Both Smyth and Drew will be appearing in Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders, but there’s a twist (because there’s always a twist): Drew’s new girlfriend Sam will be joining them in the house.
For those who either don’t recall any of this or never watched it the first time around, don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tully Smyth and Anthony Drew’s relationship, from 2013 to where they stand now.
2013: Big Brother
Tully Smyth and Anthony Drew (who goes by Drew), appeared on the 2013 season of Big Brother Australia, which was the second season to air on Channel 9 after the show’s initial run on 10 came to an end in 2008.
Smyth was introduced to the housemates, and Australia, as a bisexual social media strategist from Sydney. At the time, she’d been dating her girlfriend, Tahlia Farrant, for two years.
Smyth and Drew were drawn to one another, and shared many late night chats that quickly turned romantic. Soon enough, they were sharing a bed, with Smyth telling Drew at one point: “I still have a girlfriend. I love her very much, but you’re still my house husband”.
In fact, as the pair grew closer, they even whispered “I love you” to one another, before slipping under the covers, where their mics picked up distinct kissing sounds.
Despite their love for one another, the pair’s relationship was anything but smooth sailing, though, and viewers tuned in week in and week out as their tumultuous relationship played out in front of the nation… and their housemates.
In one particularly memorable moment, Smyth and Drew were having a heated argument in the backyard, oblivious to the fact that housemate Ben Zabel was in the pool next to them.
It’s a scene that truly has to be seen to be believed:
“I’m in the pool, I’m so sorry…”
As the show continued to air the couple’s blossoming relationship, Smyth’s girlfriend Farrant posted the following tweet, ending the couple’s relationship publicly:
Thanks for the concern guys, but I am big girl, I will be just fine. Life goes on.. x #singlebabescomeatme
— TAHLIA. (@beginnersblood) September 2, 2013
Week 10 of the competition saw Smyth briefly eliminated from the house — long enough, at least, to find out that she’d been dumped — before Big Brother offered her a second chance back in the house.
Smyth re-entered the house mid-Big Brother challenge, where Big Brother had instructed the challenge participants to freeze. In a moment of high drama, Smyth kissed Drew and whispered “I’m single, by the way”.
Farrant was unimpressed:
Just when you thought someone couldn't stoop any lower.
— TAHLIA. (@beginnersblood) October 22, 2013
Way to show Australia you're proud to be a cheater. Good riddance.
— TAHLIA. (@beginnersblood) October 22, 2013
Following the November 2013 finale of Big Brother Australia, Smyth and Drew went public with their romance, but their relationship didn’t last long in the real world, and they called it quits in January 2014.
Cut to…
2020: #Drully reunite on Too Much Tully
In November 2020, the ex-couple reunited on Smyth’s podcast, Too Much Tully, to unpack their relationship and give fans an update on where they stood at the time.
Here are a few highlights from the episode:
- Drew’s first impression of Smyth was that “she was loud and complained and cried”.
- Smyth’s first impression was that he was “6’2″, tall, dark, and handsome, bright blue eyes kid”. Smyth said that when she first laid eyes on him, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” started playing in her head.
- The pair tried to dance around the topic of Smyth’s relationship status while mic’ed up. Drew said: “We knew that everything we said, whether we were in the pool, there was cameras in the bedhead, even if you didn’t have one around your neck, you knew you were always on mic, so you knew you couldn’t say something, without the potential of it going out to the world. We talked about it, but we didn’t talk about it.” Meanwhile, Smyth called it “the hardest thing” about being in the situation.
- Smyth said that she and Drew were kept on a tighter leash than the other housemates, and that producers wouldn’t let them take their mics off, even to sleep. “The minute we tried to take them off , they were like, ‘Tully and Drew put your microphones back on,’ because it was ‘The Drully Show’,” she said.
- They didn’t have sex in the house, but they did “fool around”.
- Following their time on the show, Smyth moved to Melbourne to be with Drew, because she was “all in” on their relationship, but the pair soon found that they were “both mentally struggling”. Smyth also said that she was still processing the demise of her previous relationship as she began dating Drew.
- Drew conceded that he was “a bit of a prick” and said that he didn’t feel like himself for “12 to 24 months after the house”, so their relationship never had a chance to blossom into something real.
- Smyth said that one of the contributing factors to their breakup was that they “both got really caught up in the parties” and “being invited to everything” in the wake of their stint on the show.
- Drew said that they’ve “never really fallen out of touch” in the years following their relationship, but Smyth felt that maintaining a friendship was “sometimes harder for [Drew]” because he “has had a lot of relationships” over the years and “apparently a lot of his ex-partners don’t like [her]”.
2022: Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders
Well, it all remains to be seen, doesn’t it? If the promo is anything to go by, though, we’re in for a wild ride, with all the fights and tears that Smyth and Drew’s relationship delivered the first time around.
Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders premieres soon, only on 7 and 7 Now. Read all of our Big Brother Australia content here.
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