Ellie Goulding has been spotted soaking up the sun and enjoying a romantic escape in the South of France with her boyfriend, Beau Minniear, just six months after welcoming their first child together. The 39-year-old pop star showcased her toned midriff and incredible physique in a stylish black string bikini as the couple relaxed at the ultra-exclusive Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc.
The British singer and the 29-year-old actor could not keep their hands off each other during the getaway, sharing a passionate kiss by the water’s edge at the luxurious French Riviera retreat. Goulding and Minniear were first romantically linked in July last year before taking their relationship public in September 2025. During their stay at the high-end destination, the couple enjoyed a refreshing dip in the sea, while Minniear showed off his own athletic physique by flexing his abs in navy Orlebar Brown swimshorts before taking a daring leap from the resort’s iconic diving platform. Goulding also took a turn at the board, running toward the edge and diving playfully into the water as the pair made the most of their child-free sunshine break.
The idyllic European holiday comes just half a year after the birth of the couple’s daughter, Iris, who arrived on March 6 at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in London. Goulding is also mother to five-year-old son Arthur, whom she shares with her ex-husband, art dealer Caspar Jopling. Following the birth of her daughter, Goulding has been open about returning to her fitness routine, revealing to her followers that she was back in the gym just three weeks postpartum. At the time, she shared photographs of herself performing weighted squats alongside the caption, "Back to it all over again." Her dedication to her physical well-being was evident on the French Riviera, where she confidently displayed a ripped physique in her two-piece swimsuit.
Goulding’s commitment to maintaining her career alongside motherhood has been a central theme of her recent life. The singer famously worked throughout her pregnancy, balancing the demands of growing a family with writing and recording music. Speaking candidly to NYLON shortly before giving birth, Goulding reflected on the experience of being a working mother-to-be. She praised the support system around her, including her partner, for helping her manage the dual pressures of music and impending motherhood.
"I didn’t want to become just a pregnant woman first," Goulding told the publication at the time. "Not every woman has this luxury. I have amazing people around me. I have an amazing boyfriend. I do have it a little easier in that I do have amazing support. I’m still working every day and still writing every day. It’s just that I am growing a human inside me." She added that while she felt fortunate to have a healthy pregnancy, she refused to let it define her entirely, noting that she was not necessarily aiming for a traditional, earth-mother persona. "It’s a beautiful thing to be able to grow a child, and I feel very lucky that I’m healthy — but it’s not all I am right now," she explained.
That drive has certainly translated into professional milestones this year. Within weeks of welcoming baby Iris, Goulding was back to work, promoting her music and performing festival sets over the summer months. This momentum culminated in the release of her sixth studio album, I Know Too Much, which arrived in September and marked her long-awaited, major return to the pop music landscape.
The ten-track record features songs like Black Prada Dress, which she performed live for the first time earlier this year at Radio 1’s Big Weekend. Notably, Goulding has described the project in interviews as a "divorce album," confirming that the record openly addresses the end of her marriage to Caspar Jopling. The former couple finalised their divorce in January 2025 and have maintained an amicable relationship to co-parent their son, Arthur. Jopling has since moved on with actress Olivia Wilde, with whom he was spotted earlier this year during a romantic Valentine’s weekend in Mexico City.
Reflecting on the emotional weight of her past marriage and the subsequent separation, Goulding explained the necessity of writing through her experiences. "When I married my ex-husband, I thought it was for life. That will never go away and that will always stay with me," she said. "There are some songs that are necessary for me to acknowledge that time in my life and to be respectful of it… Then there were some songs that were extremely reactionary and sad that I felt were good to do in the moment but don’t serve me long-term." She described the album’s title track as some of the most honest songwriting of her career, calling it a tongue-in-cheek reflection on her life and musical journey so far.
Alongside the reflective heartbreak tracks, I Know Too Much also serves as a celebration of new beginnings, featuring a song explicitly dedicated to her blossoming romance with Beau Minniear. The track 4 Seasons draws inspiration from the couple’s early days together, specifically recalling a romantic getaway to a hotel in Florence when their relationship first began. In the lyrics, Goulding sings about daydreaming and falling in love against the odds, crooning: "Daydreaming, faint feelings, f*** around at the Four Seasons. I think that I might be falling in love with you." She continues, "Love how you look next to me. Yeah, I swear I’ll stay here forever with you. Let’s stay up all night. Make it last for a lifetime. I don’t usually trust guys like you. But right now, I don’t care."
Beyond her music and personal life, Goulding recently found herself making headlines for taking a strong public stance in defence of the LGBTQ+ community. Last week, the "Burn" hitmaker was widely praised after calling out one of her own dedicated fan accounts on social media for posting anti-LGBTQ+ remarks. The fan-run news account had reportedly shared and subsequently deleted a message on X commenting on Goulding’s recent fashion choices. The message praised the singer for wearing feminine outfits such as lace and silk, while disparaging "trans looks aimed at a specific community" and suggesting Goulding preferred traditional femininity.
Goulding did not let the comment slide, responding directly to the account in a public post to clarify where she stands. "Girl, no thank you," she wrote. "We don’t tolerate any anti LGBTQ+ in the fandom. I know you are better than this." Although the singer offered no further elaboration, her swift rebuke quickly trended across the platform, garnering immense praise from fans and commentators alike for actively holding her supporters accountable and reinforcing inclusive values within her community. Pop culture writer and commentator Jeff Benjamin commended her response on social media, writing, "Ellie Goulding called out her own fan that runs an Ellie Goulding News account for being transphobic, reinforced what HER fandom stands for, and pushed back on the fan to know and do better. That’s how you do it."
