Who is James Sandford? Made in Chelsea star, Irish native and former pro rugby player
FIVE new well-heeled faces joined the cast of Made in Chelsea for the 13th series.
And even though he wasn't strictly made in Chelsea, one of the newbies is Irish boy and former professional rugby player James Sandford. Here's all you need to know...
Who is James Sandford?
James is one of the five new faces that have joined Made in Chelsea for its 13th outing on E4.
A massive fan of the show, James is a former professional rugby player and trained with Ulster Rugby until 2010.
He then made the move to England, where he played for Rotherham and London Irish before being transferred to the Cornish Pirates.
But his rugby days were cut short when he suffered career-ending injury and was forced to retire.
He then took a job in London working in the City in client relations and has now joined the cast of the reality TV show.
Where is James Sanford from?
Despite joining the Chelsea-based show, James isn't from London but originally hails from Northern Ireland.
He grew up in Armagh and attended the Royal School of Armagh while rugby training with Ulster Rugby.
James made the move to England in 2010 but despite living across the Irish Sea for seven years, he still has his Northern Irish accent.
Who was James friends with before joining Made in Chelsea?
Before joining the Chelsea clan, James was friends with fellow ex-professional rugby player and dad-to-be JP Patterson.
It was JP's involvement in the show that made James a fan as his friend's antics had him glued to the screen.
He also counts singer-songwriter Julius Cowdrey as another mate and will no doubt become pals with the other cast members.
What will he be up to in this series of Made in Chelsea?
James made his first appearance on the show at the Russian ball held by Mark-Francis and immediately set his sights on Louise Thompson.
He repeatedly told her how beautiful she looked before her boyfriend Ryan turned up.
Could there be trouble in paradise for Louise and Ryan thanks to James? Watch this space.
