SHE WAS the original London influencer, documenting a glossy taste of life in the capital. But 15 years after Rosie Londoner started her enviable lifestyle blog, she has mysteriously stepped away from the spotlight.
Now, after years of speculation from her legion of devoted fans, we can reveal what drove the much-loved influencer away from the limelight.
The much-loved influencer Rosie Londoner amassed over 300k followers on Instagram showcasing her very glamorous life Credit: Instagram/rosielondoner
After years of showing off her luxury lifestyle on Instagram, influencer Rosie Londoner abruptly stopped posting Credit: Instagram/rosielondoner
Rosie, 39 – real name Rose Thomas – created The Londoner blog and Instagram page rosielondoner in 2011.
She built up her following as a “girl about town” – documenting a lifestyle that many of her 336,000 Instagram followers could only dream about.
Shopping at Chanel, summer getaways to Greece and winter weekends in the French ski resort of Val Thorens.
Her website bio shows her wearing a nautical outfit with Big Ben in the background.
The page reads: “I’m Rosie, a roaming blogger who’s lucky enough to call London home. I fill these pages with my life & adventures.
“It all started as a way to stay in touch with friends and family but it soon grew and now I have readers who I consider my extended friends and family all over the world. Welcome aboard, sailor!”
But it seems her influencer status has gone adrift – with Rosie stepping away from her online persona.
And rumours have swirled about her marriage to Dutch filmmaker P.J. van Sandwijk.
Fans have noticed that Rosie hasn’t consistently worn her antique sapphire engagement ring in her Instagram posts.
Meanwhile her most recent post in August last year featured a cryptic message about “not judging yourself”.
Rosie posted a video of two swans on a lake to a piece of classical music.
She wrote: “You may recognise this music, it’s The Swan from The Carnival of Animals – one of the most loved pieces of classical music ever made.
“Yet the composer thought it was so embarrassing he wouldn’t allow the suite to be played until after he died.
“This is your sign to stop judging yourself and create!”
Yet Rosie has not posted since, and her social media has fallen silent.
One fan commented: “Rosie is gone again guys.”
Another said: “Take care of yourself Rosie, til you return here again…”
We’re told that Rosie has chosen to step away from social media after she was a target of cruel trolls commenting on her lifestyle and appearance.
It came after Rosie spoke openly on her Instagram page about navigating life with autism, following her diagnosis at school while studying for her GCSEs.
Of her diagnosis, she said: “I had a very narrow minded and misguided view of what autism looked like and it was entirely based on how autism presents in men.”
She added: “Now I’m learning coping mechanisms as an adult and putting them into practice.
“It’s a tremendous help and I wish I’d accepted it sooner.”
Rosie has also been an advocate for body positivity on her page – showing off her stretch marks in a a bikini in 2022.
She wrote: “A lifetime spent trying to shrink, smooth and cover up.
“I wonder who decided that stretch marks, things almost every human has, weere something to be ashamed of?
“I love stripes! Who taught me to hate my own?”
A source said: “Rosie has secretly struggled in recent years with the constant comments on her relationship and body.
“She has also been open about navigating motherhood with autism and the struggles that come with that. It has been hugely upsetting for her at times.
“Rosie built an incredible following of like-minded women on her Instagram account.
“Her blogs were also a form of therapy and allowed her to pour all of her feelings on her page to the readers of her blog who she considered her ‘friends’.
“However the noise of social media has got too much over the last few years and she decided to take a step back.”
Rosie stopped posting consistently on Instagram in 2023 – but made a shock return to social media in 2024 with a post captioned: “RIP to my perfect feed. You have to die to be reborn.”
Speaking to camera with her hair up and glasses on, Rosie said: “I’m really overthinking my first post back.
“My perfectionism is raising its ugly head and telling me that I need to go and put on a cute outfit and wear some make-up and make it perfect.
“I don’t know how to get past it.
“So maybe I just rip the bandaid off and say, I’m back.”
Rosie tied the knot in Lake Garda, Italy, in July 2018 and has since welcomed a daughter Credit: Instagram/rosielondoner
It wasn’t all glam on Rosie’s Instagram page, she also shared her struggles with her thousands of followers Credit: Instagram/rosielondoner
Despite living her life online, Rosie has never pictured her husband on her blog or Instagram page.
She announced her engagement in February 2017 in a blog titled: “24 hours in Paris -The Proposal.”
She revealed how her mystery man had got down on one knee in front of the Eiffel Tower with a family heirloom.
She wrote: “People who’ve followed all along, seen me through all the bad times, terrible dates, all the boyfriends – good and bad (you have to kiss a few frogs!) to share in my excitement about a new chapter was incredible.
“It’s the sort of connection I find at meetups, wherever I host them, and it meant the world.
“It has completely revitalised and renewed my love of blogging and our friendship. I hope it lasts a lifetime.”
Fans discovered that her fiancé was Dutch film director P.J van Sandwijk.
The couple tied the knot in Lake Garda, Italy, in July 2018 with Rosie wearing a bespoke Phillipa Lepley dress.
Rosie shocked her fans when she named her husband for the first time on her wedding blog.
She wrote: “My best friend for all of those years, Mr PJ van Sandwijk kissed his bride, and became my husband!”
However there was no snap of the happy couple – only one with confetti obscuring his face.
Of her husband, she added: “At the groom’s request guests were asked to leave cameras & phones at home (partly for his own privacy and loathing of social media but mostly for the privacy of his friends).”
The couple welcomed daughter Lily in March 2019.
The following year Rosie revealed that her family of three had relocated from London to California.
She wrote: “Our little travelling circus is on the move again, and this time we’ve settled in California. Los Angeles to be exact.
“As you know, Mr Londoner works in film and Hollywood is pretty much the centre of the universe when it comes to movies.
“So, rather than flying back and forth all winter I suggested we just set up shop here for a while.
“I can work from anywhere, Lily doesn’t have to worry about school yet, let’s make the most of it!
“We’ve found a beautiful home, filled it to the brim with far too much stuff, and having been here about 4 days, we’re all just about over our jet lag.”
Rosie has her country of residence still listed as United States on her Companies House page.
However it remains a mystery as to whether Rosie Londoner will ever return.