No stranger to a TV screen, Joey Essex has officially joined the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Here!
And while the aim of the game is the conquer those dreaded tucker trials, it appears the Brit has an extra goal in mind… to find love.
WATCH: Joey Essex jokes that Mel B tried to flirt with him
“I’m a single king looking for a single queen,” the The Only Way Is Essex star said in a teaser.
“What am I gonna do for three weeks without a queen, you know what I mean?”
For the time being, Channel Ten seems to be teasing a jungle romance between Joey and Miss Universe Australia 2020, Maria Thattil, who deemed the Essex boy a “very attractive man”.
Interestingly enough, should this relationship come to fruition, it wouldn’t be the first time Joey has struck up a jungle romance with a Miss Universe.
We’ve broken down the star’s dating history below.
From 2011 to 2014, he was on-and-off with his The Only Way is Essex co-star Sam Faiers, even popping the question in Dubai.
However, during a TOWIE special, the pair decided to end things while on holiday in Marbella.
“I think the best thing is for me to let you go Sam. I love you so much. I want you to be happy. I know I don’t make you happy,” an emotional Joey told his fiancée at the time.
“I know you don’t want it and I don’t want it, but I know it’s for the best.”
As for the Miss Universe we mentioned, the reality star fell head over heels for Miss Universe Great Britain, Amy Willerton, whom he starred alongside of on I’m A Celebrity UK.
The relationship, however, didn’t last long outside of the jungle as Amy revealed the experience was isolating.
“The attention after we left the show was really hard for me,” she said to the Daily Star Sunday. “While Joey had a strong management team behind him, I didn’t really have anybody in my corner.
“I still fancy him, but I don’t want to be the next Katie Price and Peter Andre… he is a really loving, kind person and being with him felt really nice.”
While filming for MTV show Celebrity Ex on the Beach, Joey found love with model Lorena Medina in what was a whirlwind romance.
Lorena spoke to The Sun about the events that led to their breakup, saying: “I knew Joey had spent the night out because I had talked to him when he was in the cab on the way back to Essex.
“He told me, ‘I had a crazy night and I stayed at my friend’s and that was fine. But he didn’t tell me it was a girl and he didn’t mention Rita Ora.”
“We were crying, screaming and hanging up the phone so much I got eczema all over my body. After that Joey and I decided it was best if we didn’t talk any more. We said goodbye and agreed we were hurting each other too much and that it was time to end it and I haven’t spoken to him since.”
Despite the rumours that surrounded Joey and The Voice judge Rita Ora, the TOWIE star assured The Sun that their relationship has always been purely platonic.
“We have known each other for years,” the I’m A Celeb contestant said. “She’s a nice girl, but we’re just friends.”
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Want more I’m a Celebrity news and goss? Check out the links below!
REVEALED: The I’m A Celebrity Australia contestants for 2022
All the clues for who will be entering the jungle on I’m a Celebrity 2022
Get me out of here! All the stars who have withdrawn from I’m A Celeb
It’s a jungle out there! Where are the I’m A Celeb winners now?
From the jungle to the bush: Here’s where I’m a Celebrity is filmed
A fake celebrity enters the jungle: Who *actually* is I’m A Celeb’s David?
Two engagements and a lot of love: A look at Dylan Lewis’ family life
