Now a source reveals to New Idea that Angie – who is a huge dog lover herself – started following Ryan’s dog rescue page on Instagram.
Apparently, before appearing on the show Ryan was already “secretly obsessed” with Angie and the pair exchanged some flirty messages and chatted regularly.
“Word is they eventually met up in person a few times but nothing serious ever happened as they lived in different states,” an insider explains.
Now rumours are rife that Ryan could be the last man standing, as messages between Yvie Jones and Ryan from before he appeared on the show, which have since been deleted, suggest the pair already knew each other, and he has already won over Angie’s best mate and former co-star.
“Yvie saw him comment on her Instagram that he wanted to apply and immediately encouraged it,” the source says.
“Yvie knew how much of a fan Angie was of his and had witnessed their connection in real life, so she was ecstatic that he was thinking of applying. Yvie just adores him and so does Angie!”
When news got back to Angie that her pooch-loving crush was keen to take things further, the insider claims she spoke to producers and had Ryan fast-tracked to the final stage of casting.
“That’s why he came in late – to give him a better chance of developing a relationship with her,” the source says. “Producers tried to sweep the whole thing under the rug, but Angie and Ryan weren’t very good at downplaying their history.”
And the shocking cover-up didn’t go down too well with the other suitors who became instantly ‘suspicious’ about how well the pair knew each other.
“They tried to brush it off, but the boys pressed them for information and Ryan finally admitted that they’d spoken on Instagram!”
