NOT too long ago Sophie Kasaei and Jordan Brook didn’t even know if they could have a child, let alone appear in their own telly show about being parents.
So when ITV announced plans for a Towie spin off about their journey, no one was more elated than them, but insiders tell us that the move has sparked widespread unease behind the scenes, saying: “Everyone is up in arms.”
Despite her incredibly wholesome image these days, die-hard Geordie Shore fans will remember her as one of the show’s original party girls – who was axed from the show in 2013 after being caught on camera allegedly using a highly offensive racial slur.
It took years for Sophie to build her reputation back up and gain trust from the viewers again. She was handed a lifeline in 2019 and returned to Geordie Shore, before meeting and falling in love with Towie star Jordan Brook – and then finally swapping Newcastle for Essex in 2023.
But we’re told that not everyone has forgotten, and her new spin-off has rubbed some people up the wrong way, creating friction among cast members, as well as upsetting some viewers.
Our insider explained: “There’s definitely been some surprise that Sophie has been handed her own spin-off because people haven’t forgotten the controversy from her Geordie Shore days.
“Some viewers feel uncomfortable seeing her rewarded with another big platform all these years later, and Sophie knows that history is always going to follow her.
“Behind the scenes, the commission has inevitably ruffled a few feathers too. There are cast members who have given years of their lives to reality television and are annoyed and wondering why Sophie is the one getting the standalone treatment.”
They added: “It’s created a bit of an unspoken competitiveness between old friends. Don’t forget there are former Geordie Shore castmates, who would all love their own show, as well as long-standing Towie members. Everyone will congratulate her publicly, but privately there’s definitely some, ‘Why her and not me?’
“Sophie is trying not to get dragged into any jealousy because this is a massive moment for her, but she can absolutely feel that the dynamic with certain people has shifted.”
It’s the first time Towie has opted to do a breakout show – they are also covering Amy Childs’ upcoming wedding for its own episodes.
Sophie & Jordan: A Towie Baby will follow the couple as they navigate early parenthood with baby Brody after battling fertility struggles.
Another source added: “It just shows how liked and respected Sophie and Jordan are that they have been offered this.”
Sophie has come a long way from her time on MTV’s Geordie Shore. She was one of the founding members before her immediate axing.
A source said at the time: “Apparently Sophie was caught using the n-word.
“The show bosses were made aware of what she is alleged to have said and they kicked her off the programme.”
The former call centre worker was barred from the show and she was replaced by her younger cousin Marnie Simpson.
Her rep said: “Sophie is absolutely devastated and sorry for any offence that has been caused by her drunken language. Sophie is against racism in any form, being of mixed race herself and having experienced racial abuse as a child.”
She returned to the show three years later which caused upset at the time.
Insisting she had changed, she said: “What MTV did has made me learn my lesson, I had to leave for two-and-a-half years. It was hard and I do regret anything that happened.”
“I never thought in a million years that I’d be able to come back. I just literally got back in [the house] and got it all out of my system. I went mad – I was getting drunk, I was just having the best time so, yeah, like trust me, I totally learned my lesson.”
But when ITV announced their latest plans for Sophie, some people were still up in arms.
Many even questioned why she was allowed on Towie on the first place.
When news of her new show broke, one person remarked online: “Absolutely disgusting. if she made comments about kicking a dog that would have ended her career.”
Another raged: “People seem to forget that when you’re drunk doesn’t excuse your behaviour. Those words shouldn’t just come out of your mouth so easily!”
Others defended her, with one person remarking: “Can people grow? The woman struggled to conceive a child and you’re all here still blasting her for racist comments that she’s apologized for. Move onnnnnnnn.”
Sophie’s long road to redemption – and motherhood – is about to play out on television for all to judge. And with cast tensions simmering behind the scenes and public opinion remaining fiercely divided, ITV’s gamble on the couple might just prove to be their most talked-about television moment yet.