When Georgia Toffolo started dating the multi-millionaire BrewDog co-founder James Watt last summer, she knew she had to get the canine seal of approval from her beloved dog Monty.
“But it’s not a big deal if Monty likes you because Monty likes everyone,” says the former I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here champion better known as Toff.
“But this was super interesting. We got in last night – James was staying over – and I thought Monty was going to have a heart attack, he was vibrating with excitement. I said to James, ‘He doesn’t do that when I come through the front door’. But James walks in and he’s like, ‘Oh my God, here’s my person!’,” she says, laughing.
Toff, 29, describes the four-year-old King Charles Cavalier and Cocker Spaniel mix as “the love of my life” and is part of the reason why last week the former Made in Chelsea star turned TV presenter, author and entrepreneur launched her campaign to improve standards in dry dog food.
A committed dog lover – he named his company in tribute to his old mutt – James is, luckily, a big fan of her four-legged friend. He even threw him a birthday party at one of his BrewDogs recently, providing doggy beer and lots of treats.
“James no longer has a dog, but then Monty and I came along,” says Toff. “We’ve just spent a month in Ellon in Scotland [the home of BrewDog’s HQ] and Monty went to work with him every day. It makes me giggle,” she says, her voice brimming with pride and affection.
© InstagramTheir month-long visit in December to Aberdeenshire was another milestone in the blossoming relationship for the couple, who were first introduced on a blind date by friends.
“I was a bit worried because I grew up in Devon, which is the opposite end of the country, and he lives in north east east east Scotland – you can’t get more rural. I was worried I’d feel a bit homesick over Christmas, and nervous about being away from my family, and being with another family was a big deal. But we went to James’s dad’s, who’s a fisherman and goes out on his boat every day, and had the most amazing fish that he caught for lunch.”
“I love it up there so much,” she continues. “I’ve become so used to the rat race, and I thrive off the adrenaline and stress, but it’s probably reflective of how settled I feel in my personal life, which is wonderful.
“We’re both frantic and there’s a lot going on in our lives, and having some boring normality was beautiful – walking the dog early in the morning together, cooking at home. The consistency of routine is not something we’ve had, but it was just so lovely to see how happy we are doing the nice, normal stuff.”
© InstagramThey are, she says, similar. “We are very ambitious, we like to do the best in everything and we don’t take no for an answer, which means we build and do brilliant things.”
“We’re also hugely competitive of each other,” she adds. “It’s a big part of our relationship – he loves it and I love it.”
So much so that their holiday in the idyllic setting of the Maldives last November became one long round of exhausting pastimes. “I imagined sitting on the beach, reading our books, but no,” she says, laughing.
“A holiday with James Watt is like boot camp. Out of bed by 7am – and that’s a lie-in. And then the activities began – everything from tennis, water sports, backgammon. I was getting a bit frustrated by day three, but this is why he’s so brilliant with his business,” says Toff proudly about her boyfriend’s craft beer company which he started with a friend aged 24 using hefty bank loans. “He replaced work with activities, but it suited me as well.”
Going on holiday, spending 24/7 with someone is a test for any relationship, Toff admits. “When you travel you really find out about people. What if he was one of those people who gets to the airport four hours early?” she says, horrified. “That would really grate on me.” Luckily, he wasn’t.
© InstagramIn between juggling her talent business, VTA, and her new dog food company, Wild Pack, Toff is calling on the manufacturers of dry dog food – or “Big Kibble”, as she calls it – to remove glycotoxins entirely from their products, in the hope that the nation’s pooches can live longer, healthier lives. Last week she launched her “Pawtition” which she hopes will prompt a debate in Parliament.
“We know that ultra-processed food is really bad for humans, but it’s on steroids when it comes to dogs?” says Toff, who was horrified when Monty became ill from eating dry dog food, she believes, losing his fur in clumps and having constant stomach upsets. It wasn’t until she changed his diet that he improved, which is when she decided to develop Wild Pack, her own dog food brand which uses raw meat, veg and fruit.
With her business projects Toff has had less time to take on TV work, apart from the occasional travel assignment for This Morning, but is considering writing another novel, adding to the four she has already published with Mills & Boon. Does she have a James-shaped romantic hero in mind?
“I bet he’d absolutely love that, so no!” she laughs. “But weirdly the meet cute for my last book was going to be a couple of strangers sharing a carriage on the Caledonian sleeper train going to Scotland after a ticket mix up.”
In real life, however, it seems that she’s met her knight in shining armour. “I can’t believe how lovely things are going and how happy we are,” she says. “So maybe I have finally met my match. Let’s see!”
More details of how to get involved with the Kibble Amnesty can be found on the Wild Pack social channels @jointhewildpack
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