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She may have only come third in this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here, but Cerys Matthews has probably emerged from the jungle with the most chance of making a million on the back of it, and she’s got a new boyfriend out of the experience too.

On Friday night, the latest series of the massively popular reality show, hosted by Ant & Dec, came to an end, and old school entertainer Christopher Biggins emerged victorious, just scalping ex supermodel Janice Dickinson to the title of jungle King or Queen.

Apart from the always present tension and arguments, the biggest story, and one which certainly kept me interested throughout the 2 weeks the show was on ITV, was the love affair between Cerys Matthews and Marc Bannerman.

They had a connection and a mutual attraction as soon as they met, and their experience in the Australian outback seemed to draw them closer together.

Almost mimicking the romance between Peter Andre and Katie Price from a few years ago, the more time the couple spent together, the more interested in a romance they got. The problem was Bannerman already had a girlfriend on the outside, a long term one who he lived with no less.

He was the first celebrity to be booted out, partly because the public wanted blood, and partly because they thought of him as a bit of a love rat, which he was to a certain extent. But, you also can’t help falling in love, and that seems to be exactly what happened on this occasion.

Now Cerys is out too, and has wasted no time in selling her story to the newspapers, with a big exclusive in the News of the World, which I’m sure she was paid handsomely for.

Here are some highlights:

“We wanted to do more, but it wasn’t the right time or place. Marc was tactile with everyone so we’d hugged right from the beginning. But we overstepped the mark that night. I’d gone to bed but he came and sat on it and said, ‘Aren’t the stars beautiful?’”

“It was a wonderful experience and felt very romantic. As we lay there we could hear cicadas, crickets and frogs all around us. It was a magical place and I know we both realised we were feeling something special for each other.”

“But it WAS crossing the line because he had a girlfriend, and I KNEW he had a girlfriend.”

“It was an amazing feeling. We started finishing off each other’s sentences. I’d say I liked a song and he’d like the same one. We had the same opinions on things and the same feelings.”

“I never went into the jungle looking for love. I can’t believe how quickly I fell for someone in such a short space of time. But yes, I’m in love with Marc and I think he feels the same. I’d like us to spend the rest of our lives together—I’ve found a soulmate and because I’m a hopeless romantic I want to be with him for ever.”

“We’re going to take things slowly but I’ve a really amazing feeling about us.”

“We got to know each other very quickly. I realised Marc was kind, generous, warm and loving. Why wouldn’t you be attracted to that? He’s a hard-working guy, and tall too. I like tall men! It doesn’t take long to work people out if you spend that much time with them in such a small place. Your emotions are really out there because you’ve got nothing to hide behind.”

“In a few days Marc and I were spending a lot more time together. We sang together, chatted about places we wanted to go. It was hard not to be attracted because we had more and more in common. But we could never tell each other.”

Cerys already seems to be smitten, which is a worrying thing really for a couple who have only known each other from a few days. The thing is, as we’ve seen in multiple series of Big Brother, and now I’m A Celebrity, being on a show as intense as this can draw people together in a way which rarely happens in real life.

You can read the full interview, as well as see a photo shoot from Cerys in this week’s News of the World.

Cerys Matthews, Marc Bannerman, I’m A Celebrity, News of the World, Big Brother, Peter Andre, Katie Price, Jordan, Christopher Biggins, Janice Dickinson, UK, British