While their flirtatious banter continues to be a major point of interest in the latest season of My Kitchen Rules, Ben and Roula’s affections seemed to have extended way beyond where the cameras were allowed to go.
After the pair were spotted by the rest of the cast making eyes at each other just minutes after arriving on set, things quickly escalated behind the scenes when Ben, 27, pulled out all the stops to get Roula, 36, to come out for his birthday.
Ben is “smitten” says an insider.
(Image: Supplied)“Ben was adamant on wanting her there,” a source tells Woman’s Day. “He was so obviously smitten and didn’t really care about anyone else going but her.”
It comes after the cameras were quick to pick up their seemingly romantic ways on the first day of shooting.
“Ben was super flirtatious with Roula,” says the insider. “He would make silly jokes to her and flirted with her at the instant restaurants for a whole week straight.”
Things are certainly heating up between the pair!
(Image: Channel Seven)Despite meeting Ben on the show, Roula almost said no to signing up for another round on the reality series.
“I was a bit taken back [by the offer] and I didn’t want to do it,” Roula previously told TV WEEK.
After being painted as the villains in season nine of the competition, Roula explains she and best friend Rachael received a lot of hate online.
“Because we were portrayed as villains, we got bullied a lot on social media,” the Melbourne nanny recalls.
WATCH: My Kitchen Rules‘ Roula and Rachael were embroiled in a nasty feud with their rivals. Story continues below…
While Roula tried to “ignore” the backlash, her family struggled seeing the harsh comments attacking her online.
“I think my family were more affected by it than I was,” she reveals. “It’s hard for your family to see, you get thrown under the bus by trolls on the internet.”
“Everyone was getting very defensive and I said, ‘Let it go. If it’s not really fazing me, why should you let it faze you?'”
