Vanessa's New Guy On Selling Sunset Season 5 Is Now Her Fiancé

Although audiences didn’t see much of Vanessa Villela’s new beau, Nicholas Hardy, on Selling Sunset Season 5, the moments he was there for were very dramatic — from crying on lunch dates because he had to go back to the U.K. to crying again during his dramatic promise ring proposal in the Oppenheim group’s office. And he doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon: In January 2022, just a few months before the Season 5 premiere, Vanessa announced via Instagram that Nick swapped out her promise ring for an engagement ring. So, who is Vanessa’s new fiancé... and why is he so hard to find on the internet?

Perhaps the only thing all the Selling Sunset cast members can agree on is how infatuated Nick and Vanessa are with each other. Every scene they’re in feels more like Bridgerton than a reality show about real estate. According to Nick’s Instagram announcing their engagement, they met in October of 2020 and had a very quick friends-to-lovers romance despite the long distance between them. Their relationship was serious enough that by the end of Season 5, Vanessa seemingly decided to move to the U.K. to be with Nick full time.

Here’s what else to know about Nick.

Nick Hardy’s Career

Before Season 5 cast Nick into the spotlight, it was hard to find him with a quick search, mainly because he goes by a different name professionally: Tom Fraud. His website says this made-up name is “a way of life” that “stands for the idea of going against the tide, doing your own thing and doing it your own way.” Who knew two short words could stand for so much.

Under this pseudonym, he works as a commercial photographer for brands like Nike, the NFL, and PowerBar. According to his LinkedIn, in 2019 he was creative director at the London-based photo agency BLOODMIX Creative, and now he’s undertaking the same role at Lascivious Lingerie, where Vanessa has a line of bikinis.

Nick Hardy’s Instagram

As a photographer, Nick/Tom essentially uses his Instagram @tomfraud as a living portfolio, which naturally includes a lot of shots of Vanessa. He has plenty of saved story highlights on his work and travels for his just under 16,000 followers too. One of his most recent, and most liked, posts is his engagement announcement made up of couple pics and a video of the proposal.

Although it is unclear if Vanessa and Nick will be back for Seasons 6 and 7 of Selling Sunset, their engagement did take place in Los Angeles at the Griffith Observatory, so perhaps Vanessa hasn’t left L.A., or the screen, for good. And perhaps Nick will come along for more screen time.