Inside Dan Edgar’s secret Kate Ferdinand agony as pals give honest verdict on Towie star’s future with Chloe Lewis

RELAXING on a sunbed in Marbella with his beautiful girlfriend Chloe Lewis, there’s no denying Dan Edgar is incredibly loved up. And as they shared intimate snaps from their break, pals tell us they think Chloe might be ‘The One’ – and have revealed what was really holding the 36-year-old back when it came to settling down in the past. Dan Edgar and Chloe Lewis are very loved up – sharing pictures from their Marbella holiday Credit: Instagram Smitten Dan kissed Chloe’s leg as they relaxed on a sun lounger in one intimate picture Credit: Instagram For years, viewers watched as Dan navigated his tumultuous relationship with Amber Turner on The Only Way Is Essex, often branding him a ‘man child’ and ‘commitment-phobe’, but we can reveal it was in fact another ex that he struggled to get over. Before Amber, Dan was dating Kate Wright, who is now known as Kate Ferdinand. For over six years, Dan and Kate were head-over-heels, well before they joined Towie in 2015. However they split just a year after joining the show, and we’re told the break up affected Dan more than he ever let on. Kate famously moved on with footballer Rio Ferdinand, who she wed in 2019, and became a huge household name. Meanwhile, Dan embarked on another public romance on the reality show and struggled to win over the public. Our insiders explained: “Dan has spent years looking for something that feels real and lasting, and he’s finally found it with Chloe. “There’s a reason none of his relationships ever quite seemed to stick before, and a big part of that was because, emotionally, he hadn’t completely let go of what he’d lost with Kate. “Kate was a huge private heartbreak for Dan. Losing her and then seeing her move on and build a life with Rio was incredibly difficult for him, even if he would never admit just how much it affected him. “For a long time afterwards, there was almost an unconscious comparison going on. “That’s why he struggled to find longevity. He’d meet someone, there would be chemistry, but something was missing. “Deep down, he was still comparing what he had to what he’d once had with Kate. “It took him a long time to properly heal from that, and realise that you can’t spend your life looking for the same person twice.” As well as Amber, Dan enjoyed a romance with Ella Rae Wise but it came crashing down in tears just months before he surprised everyone by reconnecting with Chloe. While Chloe and Dan were on Towie together, they never officially dated. Chloe admitted on the show that they had shared a kiss around 2015 before she joined the cast and rumours of romance between them were rife. The surprise reunion was ignited last year as the pair both attended the wedding of their close friends and Towie co-stars Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallet in Majorca. In the months that followed they hinted at romance, with cute comments on each other’s posts and often being spotted in the same place at the same time. However, their trip to Marbella has been the clearest sign yet just how loved up they now are, as they happily share snaps of each other for the first time. Chloe shares six-year-old son Beau with ex Danny Flasher, who she was with for seven years before splitting in 2023. Before that she had an on-off decade-long relationship with childhood sweetheart Jake Hall, before the pair split for good in 2016. On May 6 of this year, Jake tragically died, aged just 35, at a Majorcan holiday villa. It was truly devastating for everyone who knew him, but his death is said to have played a part in Chloe’s relationship with Dan. Our insider said: “What happened with Jake has put a lot into perspective for both of them. Losing someone so suddenly and tragically is a brutal reminder that life really is too short to keep putting things off or wasting time worrying about what might happen. Insiders tell us Dan is now a changed man Credit: Getty Pals think he will settle down with Chloe Credit: chloelewis91/ Instagram “Neither of them wants to look back in five or 10 years and wonder what could have been. They’ve both been through enough heartache to know how precious time is. “If anything, Jake’s death has made them even more determined to appreciate what they have rather than take it for granted. “Dan has also been incredibly conscious of what Chloe has been through. He knows Jake will always be an important part of her story and he would never try to erase that or compete with a man who meant so much to her. “He’s simply trying to be there for her and build something positive with her now.” And part of that is working out how much of his life to share – he is still a big part of Towie, while Chloe moved on back in 2019. He recently admitted that there’s ‘no sign’ of her making a return, saying: “I’m happy with how it is at the moment and it being separate. I’m in a good place with it all. Things are going well at the moment.” It’s somewhat of a balancing act though – when TOWIE jetted off to Albania for the latest series, Dan admits he wasn’t exactly looking forward to it – fearing a repeat of the drama that engulfed him and Ella in Vietnam. The Vietnam row began after Ella claimed Dan was getting flirty with her around the pool, prompting an explosive reaction from Courtney – who is close to Chloe. She branded them disrespectful over their behaviour on the trip. Insiders tell us that Dan struggled to get over Kate Wright, who he dated for six years Credit: Instagram Kate appeared on Towie alongside Dan for just one year before they split in 2016 Credit: Rex But Dan insists he went into this series with a completely different mindset, as he juggles having two ex-girlfriends on the show. And our insiders agree, telling us: “He’s at a completely different stage of his life now. The Dan of a few years ago was very different. “He’s grown up, he knows what he wants and he’s not interested in wasting time on something that doesn’t have a future. “With Chloe, he’s thrown absolutely everything at it. He also dated Ella on the show before calling it quits Credit: ITV His tumultous relationship with Amber Turner played out on Towie “She ticks every box for him. He admires her, trusts her, feels completely comfortable around her and, importantly, he can actually picture a life with her. “This isn’t just about having fun or being swept up in a new romance, he can see himself marrying Chloe and having a family.” The added: “For Dan, this feels like the relationship he’s been waiting for without even realising it. “He’s had so many false starts and so many relationships that ultimately went nowhere, but Chloe has made him think differently about his future. “He’s finally stopped looking backwards, and started looking forward.”