Australia is well acquainted with a humble reality TV romance – we’ve seen a solid Bachelor success rate, a handful of Married at First Sight couples go the distance, and even Big Brother has served up a smitten duo or two.
But of all the shows to bring us romance, there’s one you wouldn’t quite expect to be on par with the others – yep, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! doesn’t sound particularly appealing as a way to meet your other half.
You don’t have to look far to know why.
Faced with a series of testing, trying, and at times, downright terrifying challenges, the stars of the show are subject to some of their most uncomfortable moments.
Then there’s the grub, and constant hunger. Showers aren’t quite hotel standard, and a diet of pure rice and beans would make even the loveliest of us a tad, er… cranky.
Nope, none of this serves up an opportunity where one is at their peak to meet their perfect romantic match.
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But strangely, a number of seasons of I’m A Celebrity Australia has somehow managed to achieve quite the contrary.
From Barry Hall and Lauren Brant to Charlotte Crosby and Ryan Gallagher, you’ll be surprised to learn of some of the sparks that have flown in the depths of the jungle.
Keep scrolling as we round up the surprising couple’s who’ve hooked up on I’m A Celebrity…
Lauren Brant & Barry Hall
The first season of I’m A Celebrity didn’t disappoint. With a star studded cast including the likes of Chrissie Swan and Andrew Flintoff, its easy to see why the series took off in Australia – but more importantly than anything else that season gave us was the iconic romance of Lauren Brant and Barry Hall.
Lauren Brant & Barry Hall
While the pair met for the first time in the jungle, apparently it took a little while for the sparks to fly. According to Lauren who spoke about the experience in the years following, it was an innocent catch up a year later that made them realise there was something there.
Lauren Brant & Barry Hall
“I think with being able to eat and have comfort and hair and makeup and all of that stuff which we didn’t have in the jungle, we liked each other,” Lauren told Nova of the catch up.
Lauren Brant & Barry Hall
The rest, as they say, is history. Nine years on from their stint, the pair now share three adorable kids, Houston, Miller and Samson, and have another baby on the way!
Ryan Gallagher & Charlotte Crosby
Reality stars Ryan Gallagher and Charlotte Crosby instantly connected on 2020’s season of I’m A Celebrity. It wasn’t hard to see why – these two were well acquainted with, um, on-screen hookups.
Ryan Gallagher & Charlotte Crosby
Yep, things went from 0 to 100 fast in the jungle. The steamy makeout sesh was plastered across every reality TV fanatic’s newsfeed for weeks as the Geordie Shore star and former MAFS groom went on-screen official.
Ryan Gallagher & Charlotte Crosby
The pair took their relationship beyond the jungle too – and it did last a few weeks (practically years in reality TV land). But in February 2020, Charlotte confirmed they had gone their separate ways, explaining she and Ryan were “just not looking for the same things in a relationship”.
In March 2023, Ryan became engaged to Olympian and fellow The Challenge contestant Emily Seebohm whilst Charlotte is enjoying life as a mum of a baby girl with boyfriend Jake Ankers.
Tim Robards & Anna Heinrich
Okay, so they didn’t actually meet on I’m A Celebrity, but Bachelor couple Tim and Anna made a whirlwind appearance as intruders on the first season of the show back in 2015. Seeing they can get through the jungle in one piece, not to mention still as in love as ever, we reckon that’s quite the achievement.
Tim Robards & Anna Heinrich
Yep, they’re still just as loved-up to this day! The couple welcomed their first child together, Elle, in November 2020 and their second, another daughter named Ruby, in March 2024.
Abbie Chatfield & Ash Williams
The 2021 season of I’m A Celebrity has done nothing to quell the unexpected romance trend – from the first episode, fans noticed an unmistakeable spark between The Bachelor‘s Abbie Chatfield and comedian Ash Williams.
Abbie Chatfield & Ash Williams
Things heated up quickly between the two, with many fans noting the chemistry between them when Abbie gave Ash a convenient massage just a few episodes in.
But a month after the show’s finale aired, Abbie revealed she had no feelings for Ash during filming, explaining their flirtation was the result of boredom while stuck together in the Aussie outback.
Abbie Chatfield & Ash Williams
“There’s this weird thing, there’s a lot of Twitter chat about how I am in love with Ash and I’m obsessed with Ash,” Abbie said on her It’s A Lot podcast.
“I never had feelings for Ash, I got a lot of DMs from you guys like ‘you’re too good for him, can’t you see he doesn’t like you’ and I’m like but I didn’t like him either! Got along really well, we were really good friends in there. We cuddled literally all day, everyday, because we needed affection.”
The former Bachelor breakout star revealed the pair caught up for coffee after filming wrapped, but their hang-out was purely platonic.
In the years since Abbie has dated a string of people, most notably fellow Bachelor alum, Konrad Bien-Stephen who she was in an open relationship with. The pair split in late 2022.
Pettifleur Berenger & Ash Williams
The Real Housewives of Melbourne star claimed Ash pursued her behind Abbie’s back during their time filming, saying the comedian ruined her reputation after pretending to be keen on her.
“I didn’t know he talked from two sides of his mouth. We were friends and my question that looked really cringing was: ‘You said you like me and I’m the person you’re interested in, and not Abbie. So if I gave you the green light, what would you do?'” she told The Herald Sun.
“And he says: ‘Maybe I’d go for it’. Then he goes to Grant Denyer and tells what I said and he should have told me no.”
Pettifleur said she came across as an “old bag” who wanted to pursue a younger man.
Maria Thattil & Joey Essex
What happens when you cross a former Miss Universe Australia with a British reality TV star in the 2022 season? A fair bit of flirting, that’s what.
“Joey’s gorgeous and you know, we were attracted to each other from the get-go … we connected really quickly over very, very long and open conversations,” Maria told Now To Love.
While some viewers claim the romance between Maria and Joey was all for the cameras, she insists “whatever they had in there” was rooted in a solid friendship first.
“It was [rooted] in banter and enjoying each other’s company, being attracted to each other was just the cherry on the cake in that situation,” she said.
“It was nice to have somebody I could be close to and intimate with in that way. I’m so glad he was there to make those memories with.”
As of January 2023 Maria is dating Jorgia O’Hare and Joey is dating his Dancing on Ice 2023 partner Vanessa Bauer.
