SHE was once the biggest influencer in the country, with 11m followers, a beauty range, a book deal, a homeware collection and millions in the bank.
But when Zoe Sugg – or Zoella, as she was known to fans – stepped back from social media after a series of controversies to raise her children, her little brother Joe seized the opportunity to step out from her shadow.
Zoe Sugg aka Zoella was once the biggest influencer in the country[/caption]
When Zoe stepped back from social media her little brother Joe seized the opportunity to step out from her shadow[/caption]
Sources have revealed Zoe was determined to get herself back in the limelight[/caption]
Despite his own moderate success as a YouTuber, often filming alongside Zoe, Joe, 34, found a mainstream fanbase when he appeared on Strictly in 2018.
That in turn resulted in primetime opportunities including an appearance on Great British Bake Off and a role in BBC drama The Syndicate.
Now sources have revealed the motivation behind curious timing of Zoe’s shock return to YouTube last week, which came barely hours before Joe and his partner, Strictly professional Dianne Buswell, announced they were expecting their first baby, a boy.
Insiders believe that Zoe, 35, was spurred on by Joe’s happy news – revealed as Dianne returns to the BBC dance show as the reigning champion – and was determined to get herself back in the limelight first.
Do people still want to watch my content? Is there anything left?”
“Zoe was always the bigger star in the family but a few years ago things changed,” our source explained.
“Once Joe did Strictly and got into a relationship with Dianne, he became the most well known and around the same time Zoe took a step back to have her two children.
“When she returned to YouTube over the weekend everyone was very surprised – even more so because it coincided with Joe and Dianne’s baby announcement.
Once Joe did Strictly and got into a relationship with Diane he became the most well known[/caption]
Joe and Dianne won over the nation with their dance routines – and then their romance[/caption]
“When he announced he was having a boy – fans were really excited but there was some chatter that Zoe might be feeling a bit put out by it and that her own video would sabotage his news.”
Fans pointed out similar, with one reacting to Zoe’s unexpected video – titled ‘I’m Back! Where Have I Been?’ by questioning if she’d uploaded it “bc of the Joe news?”
Despite what looked like an excited, heartfelt response to Joe and Dianne’s announcement, where Zoe commented, “The best news everrrrrr!! Can’t wait to be an auntie again and meet him!! His big cousins are going to take the BEST care of him xxx”, Zoe’s own content was far from cheery.
Instead, her forlorn video, in which she lamented how she “didn’t fit in” anymore, prompted a huge surge of support from fans with hundreds of thousands watching within the first few hours.
Staring into the camera, Zoe pleaded with viewers: “I’m not doing anything groundbreaking. Do people still want to watch my content? Is there anything left?”
She then explained that she had taken a step back from socials over the summer while her eldest daughter, Ottilie, prepared to start school.
In her first YouTube upload in three months she also moaned, “I just feel like a toe.”
Fans rushed to the comment section to offer Zoe reassurance.
Zoe put out a comeback YouTube video just hours before Joe announced his big news[/caption]
There have often been hints of competition between the siblings over the years[/caption]
At one point it was Zoe hosting the events and Joe tagging along[/caption]
“Hearing those words broke my heart,” one said, while another gushed, “You’re inspiring!”.
Taking a step back
Zoe has been less and less visible online in recent times, as she explained “fast paced” content was taking over, in contrast to her ‘cozy’, chatty style.
She’d also been embroiled in several scandals over the years, including backlash for hiring a ghostwriter to pen her debut book, a £50 ‘rip-off’ advent calendar, and controversial tweets that surfaced in 2017, in which she mocked gay people and “fat chavs”.
It’s no secret in recent years that the siblings have drifted apart a bit.”
Her videos changed massively when she had her daughters Ottilie, four, and Novie, one, with YouTuber partner Alfie Deyes.
Beauty blogs and silly pranks were replaced with wholesome child-friendly content, often featuring Alfie’s side of the family.
Alfie, who has been in a relationship with Zoe since 2012, was one of the original members of the Brit Crew, the original UK YouTubers who ruled the internet in the mid-naughties.
Spearheaded by Zoe, The ‘Crew’ included Alfie, Joe and fellow vloggers such as Tanya Burr and Louise Pentland, all of whom became overnight stars.
Zoe has been less and less visible online recently after taking a step back to be with her kids alongside partner Alfie Deyes[/caption]
The couple revealed they will no longer be sharing images of their kids[/caption]
Now, still hugely popular in his own right, Alfie has 3.6m subscribers on YouTube and another 3.9m on Instagram. He and Zoe were considered an ‘internet power couple’.
Meanwhile, Joe and Dianne, 36, have firmly established themselves as a hugely popular celebrity couple in their own right – and outside of the social media sphere.
Zoe was once the country’s highest earning influencer – and back in 2019 she was thought to be worth £4million. Her current cash is unknown, but Joe is said to have £8million in the bank.
Going head to head
Now pals believe the secret rivalry between Zoe and Joe could tear the once inseparable siblings apart, as they both strive to be more famous than the other.
“Joe and Zoe are very close but there has always been an underlying rivalry bubbling away under the surface and some of us think it’s reared its ugly head again recently,” the source said.
“It’s no secret in recent years that the siblings have drifted apart a bit – Zoe has been so busy with her family she hasn’t had much time to visit Joe and he always has his own things going on.”
There have often been hints of competition between the pair over the years.
They’ve both appeared on Bake Off, Zoe in 2015 and Joe in 2020, and when it was Joe’s turn he admitted it was his aim to do better than his sister.
“I’ve got to beat Zoe,” he said. “It’s basic sibling rivalry.”
He also confessed he didn’t tell her when he landed his biggest job to date – Strictly, instead announcing the news on Radio 1, telling Scott Mills, “She doesn’t know, now she knows. I didn’t tell her”.
Joe and Dianne now make very popular couple content[/caption]
But in spite of their rivalry – and perhaps in an effort to silence the critics – the siblings have clearly made an effort with each other in recent days.
Alfie and Zoe took to YouTube at the weekend, on Alfie’s channel, to explain it “didn’t feel weird” that Joe was set to be a dad. They added they were “ incredibly excited” about becoming an aunty and uncle and appeared to address Joe and Dianne directly when they said, “You’re about to have the best time of your life.”
The foursome live just five minutes down the road from each other in Brighton, Joe and Dianne in a stunning 3.5m mansion and Alfie and Zoella in a £1.7m house a stone’s throw away.
Fans previously have commented how little they see each other despite living so close – but last week the group were seen in a video filmed at Joe’s home and posted to his socials, marvelling at a life size model of ET, which Alfie and Zoe gifted him for his recent birthday.
But underneath the happy exterior, the changing power dynamic between Joe and Zoe has without a doubt raised a few eyebrows and it seems sibling rivalry really is the rocket fuel of success for them both.
