What Happened to Fitness Influencer Lilly Sabri? All the Details

Like many influencers, Lilly Sabri built her highly successful brand by sharing her life with her millions of followers, but she learned an unfortunate consequence of doing so, which led to an extended hiatus after her personal life imploded.

Lilly was one of the social media success stories of the pandemic, when her fitness videos and related content exploded while the world was on lockdown due to the COVID-19.

After an 18-month hiatus from her personal social media accounts, Lilly sat down with the BBC in April 2025 to discuss the relationship scandal that caused her to retreat from the spotlight.

In 2023, Lilly’s routine presence on social media came to a screeching halt when a gossip podcast shared a story about a man who had allegedly cheated on his fiancée, who was well-known on social media. Fans instantly began to put the clues together and point to Lilly’s then-boyfriend — and they were correct in their assumptions.

The barrage of questions and speculation surrounding her relationship status led Lilly to feel bombarded and she decided not to address what happened until speaking with the BBC.

"I just had to get away from social media," Lilly told the BBC. "People wanted answers, people wanted to see even more into my life, even when I asked for privacy. All I could do was control my own reaction and that meant withdrawing and protecting myself and my family."

Not only was she faced with the end of her relationship and the public scrutiny that followed, but she was also pummeled professionally because her ex was also her business partner, so she had to raise the money to buy him out. This led to huge changes to her business, including moving back to the U.K. with her family and laying off the majority of her staff.

"It was very humbling and very difficult," Lilly told the outlet. "I was trying to manage the heartbreak and the shock combined with keeping the business afloat."

The fitness influencer, whose business is now thriving again, says that she will do things differently moving forward regarding her personal life and social media. "I think when I compare to some other people, I didn't show a lot of my lifestyle. But it was clearly enough for people to put two and two together," she said.

"I've learned people will constantly want more the more you give," Lilly said. "It can lead to a lot of exposure because you're chasing likes or you feel that's what your customers want."

"I'm not going to be showing my personal relationships, I've been too scarred, and I can't do it again," Lilly added. "Be mindful about what you're sharing, because once it's online, it's online forever."

Lilly’s workout videos and content have translated to over six million followers on YouTube and close to a million on Instagram.