Ricci Guarnaccio, the Geordie Shore star, has been branded a liar and a cheat by a woman who says she was his secret girlfriend for seven years, as he publicly confirms a new romance. The claims come as Guarnaccio’s personal life faces renewed scrutiny after Instagram posts and a splashy reveal with a new partner.
Steph Potts, a mother of two who worked as a sales assistant, told The Sun that she and Guarnaccio dated for more than seven years and that she was kept private from his public life. Potts said she felt his public profile forced him to shield their relationship, and that he presented the romance as if it were much shorter in duration. She argued that the timeline he gave about being single for a period of time did not match her experience. Potts described her emotions as her blood boiling when she learned Guarnaccio had gone Instagram official with another woman, a person she says was only recently known to him.
Potts said the couple’s relationship was on and off, with a cycle of breaks and reconciliations that stretched back years. She alleged that Guarnaccio never wanted to introduce her to his wider circle or publicly acknowledge the romance, which left her feeling he was ashamed of her. She claimed that at one point he contacted her with money, which she declined, insisting she did not need financial assistance. The couple’s dynamic, she said, deteriorated until they ultimately stopped communicating on social media.
Guarnaccio has since announced a new romance with Jenna Mumford, described as from Essex, and the couple has shared several affectionate posts on Instagram and featured a date night at the Essex restaurant Sheesh. The emergence of a fresh relationship following a public dispute led Potts to say she would no longer stay quiet about what she alleges was a long-running secret relationship that she believed had been inaccurately portrayed by Guarnaccio.
A representative for Guarnaccio declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail.
Guarnaccio first rose to prominence in 2012 as a leading figure on Geordie Shore, where he found quick fame with co-star Vicky Pattison. He resurfaced on television in 2022 when Geordie Shore was revived for Paramount+. During his time away from the show, Guarnaccio reportedly spent more than £50,000 on cosmetic procedures and has since said he is addicted to going under the knife. He began experimenting with enhancements during a break from Geordie Shore while working as a DJ in Australia.
The broader industry reflection on these personal disclosures comes amid a wider conversation about public figures and privacy, and how relationships are navigated in a culture that often blurs personal and professional lines. While fans have followed Guarnaccio’s career since the early days of Geordie Shore, Potts’ account adds a new layer of complexity to the star’s public narrative, highlighting the ongoing tension between performance in front of the camera and the realities of private life.
The timeline of events—Potts’s seven-year claim, Guarnaccio’s public romance with Mumford, and the alleged social-media blackout between the two women—frames a case that underscores how quickly a celebrity’s personal life can become a factor in their professional image. As the conversation continues, observers will weigh the claims against Guarnaccio’s own statements and the accounts of those close to him, and decide how the narrative will influence his ongoing career in entertainment and reality television.