James Argent has struck up a shock romance with Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.
MailOnline can reveal the pair have grown close after enjoying cosy dates round each other’s Essex houses following Ekin’s dramatic elimination from Celebrity Big Brother in March.
Sources say while the couple are not official, friends are excited to see where their relationship could go after James, 36, supported Ekin, 29, when she struggled to cope with harsh trolls amid the reality show backlash.
It is Ekin’s first dalliance since her split from Love Island boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, 29, in January and former TOWIE star James hasn’t been with anyone since parting ways from Stella Turian, 19, last November.
An insider told MailOnline: ‘James lives close to Ekin, they are practically neighbours – so when she needed a friend after Celebrity Big Brother, he was there for her.
‘Their friendship developed into something stronger and they started to spend more time together, even passionately kissing.
‘It’s still early days and they both appreciate they need to take it slow, having come out of high-profile relationships in the past six months… but there’s no denying the feelings and chemistry between them.’
Ekin was the fourth housemate to be voted out of Celebrity Big Brother after enduring a turbulent few weeks on the series, which she starred on alongside the likes of Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.
But her treatment post-elimination was worse after she became embroiled in a bullying row on spin-off show Late & Live, and was wrongly accused by Lorraine Kelly of pulling out of an appearance on her morning show at the last minute, which the Scottish TV host later apologised for.
She decided not to attend the Celebrity Big Brother final, with both her management and the ITV1 team keen to protect the star, who had been feeling ‘vulnerable’ and exposed to hateful trolls.
As she kept a low profile following the end of CBB, she grew close to James, and together they bonded over their mutual ups and downs of being well-known figures in the industry.
James, who has found new success with The Arg Band, is looking better than ever after having ‘life changing’ gastric band surgery in 2021 and prioritising his health and wellbeing.
After attending a rehab facility, losing over 14 stone and eradicating drugs and alcohol, the former TOWIE star has transformed his life and is now more than three years sober.
Ekin-Su won Love Island in 2022 alongside ex-boyfriend Davide, who she was in an on/off relationship with until they finally parted ways in January.
Since their split, Ekin has gone onto star in the US series of The Traitors and Celebrity Big Brother and has previously featured in the cast of Dancing On Ice.
In April, Davide was caught on camera ‘handing out hippy crack balloons’ months after he was seen with a ‘suspicious white powder’ during a trip to Ibiza.
His breakup antics, including being spotted partying with a bevy of women, have caused him to lose out on lucrative brand deals with the likes of boohooMAN and protein power Sci-mx.
However, Ekin’s career continues to flourish, as the ambassador of makeup brand BPerfect Cosmetics and a regular guest at red carpet events.
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