Daisy May Cooper’s new DJ boyfriend is a hard-working, old school raver former tool hire shop manager whose nickname is ‘huggy bear’… it’s ‘surreal’ to see him on the red carpet at showbiz parties, says his ex

The former partner of Daisy May Cooper’s new boyfriend finds it ‘surreal’ that her ‘normal, hard-working ex’ has entered her showbiz world and is attending red carpet parties, friends have revealed.

Daisy announced this week that she is expecting a baby with 45-year-old part-time DJ Anthony Huggins – who she describes as ‘the sweetest, kindest, most relaxed man’.

The couple have enjoyed a whirlwind romance since meeting on dating app Hinge.

Both are parents of two children from previous relationships, Daisy is said to have liked that Anthony – nicknamed ‘Huggy Bear’ – has nothing to do with the London show business circles in which she regularly moves.

Before meeting Daisy, Ant – a rave DJ on the Bristol night scene who goes by the stage name ‘Fuse One’ – was in a relationship with his childhood sweetheart Liz Jefferies for twenty years. They have a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son.

Friends of Liz said she is surprised to see Ant is now hanging out with celebrities and appearing at the BAFTAs.

Huggins, 45, is a DJ on Bristol’s night scene, playing club shows under the name ‘Fuse One’

The couple were pictured kissing at the TV BAFTAs last May

Ant was in a relationship with Liz Jefferies (pictured with her new partner) for twenty years. She told friends it’s surreal to see him at red carpet parties with Daisy May Cooper

A friend once said, “Liz is a great mother, but she finds it surreal that her children have gone from a normal family to having a celebrity in their lives who is on TV.

‘She remembers Ant as a normal, hard-working guy – what you see is what you get – who wouldn’t have gone to those glitzy showbiz parties.

‘His real passion has always been DJing and dance music. That and cars. He used to drive a BMW, but now has a souped-up sports car.

‘Even though he is a DJ who plays to crowds of clubbers and has a famous girlfriend, he is not a braggart, on the contrary, he is a fairly quiet person.’

‘Liz has never met Daisy, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t get along. Liz is nice and Daisy seems the same, very down to earth and modest.’

Liz declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline – but the source revealed: ‘Ant and Liz had been together since their teens and had two children together who are now both at school.

‘But their relationship hit the rocks and about four and a half years ago they went their separate ways. They’ve both moved on with other people and she’s happy for him.’

When he was with Liz, father-of-two Ant worked as a store manager for Brandon Tool Hire in Bristol – and according to friends he enjoyed an ‘old school rave up’ at the weekends.

Daisy previously showed off her body transformation after giving up booze (most recently left and right in 2019)

Cooper split from her boyfriend Ryan Weymouth in May 2022, with friends revealing she decided she didn’t want to be tied down (pictured in March that year)

The actress split from her husband Will Weston (pictured with Daisy in October 2018) in July 2021 after just two years of marriage

One told MailOnline: ‘Ant lived on Friday and Saturday nights and loved to party, he often went to the club, especially in Bristol.

“His buzz has always been dance music and DJing. He still listens to old tapes of raves from the early 90s – hardcore, jungle, drum and base, everything.

‘And he still likes to go to all-night parties, only now he’s usually behind the decks.

‘It’s very different to the BAFTAs where he had to be well dressed, but he’s a cool guy who is open to different experiences, so he also enjoys the more formal evenings with Daisy.

‘He has no charisma or charm, he was a manager at Brandon Tool Hire in Fishponds before the branch closed.

‘His colleagues called him Huggy Bear, he was very popular, a down-to-earth man with a good sense of humor.

“He left a few years ago and worked at a company that supplies signs and decor for concerts, dance music events and festivals.”

Ant will DJ at a nightly event called Vinyl Destination 9 in Bristol next month.

In a photo posted to his Instagram page in July last year, he stands behind the decks at one of his events, with Daisy playing the role of the supportive girlfriend behind him.

She said: ‘My beautiful guy’ to which Ant replied: ‘My beautiful lady’ with a heart eyes emoji.

Daisy added: “Bonnie and Clyde” with a heart emoji, comparing their romance to that of the famous American outlaws.

Daisy is best known for her starring role in the BBC comedy This Country, which aired from 2017 to 2020, alongside her brother Charlie.

Ant is said to have moved into Daisy’s Cotswolds home last year and the pair have now become ghostbusters after setting up webcams to record paranormal activity in the haunted house.

But last month, Daisy joked in an Instagram post that the only thing the cameras captured was her getting up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet.

She wrote: ‘Bf set up a camera in the bedroom to film ghosts…all it captured was Bigfoot getting up to go p*** at midnight’

The actress is planning her own ghost hunting show called Daisy May Investigates and has urged fans to email her with their own chilling stories.

She added on another Instagram post: “Have you had an exorcism via zoom? An eerily accurate (or not) paranormal reading at the village fete? Have you seen the face of a dearly departed relative while scratching or some other unexplained phenomenon? Then I want to hear it.’

Daisy revealed she believes her home is haunted by the ghost of a dead highwayman and a pair of disembodied legs when she appeared on a special edition of hit BBC podcast Uncanny and invited presenter Danny Robins to stay the night.

She announced on Tuesday that she is expecting baby number three in July, following daughter Pip, five, and son Jack, three, her children with ex-husband Will Weston.

Daisy and Ant made their romance public last year when they put on a fun show at the BAFTAs.

Speaking about her new man, she told Fabulous magazine: ‘Now I understand that a relationship shouldn’t start at three in the morning and then walk outside and switch off your phone.

‘That’s not what love is. Love is being able to live together every day, enjoying each other’s company, being completely yourself and having that accepted.

‘He doesn’t want to compete with me. He earns £1,500 a month and he is the sweetest, kindest and most relaxed man.’