Helen Flanagan says ‘there are three exes I would be dreading to see’ as she is set to return to television screens soon as part of the Celebrity Ex On The Beach lineup
Jessica Clarke Digital Reporter
23:02, 22 Mar 2026
Celebrity Ex On The Beach is set to return to television screens soon, with the full line-up now revealed
Helen Flanagan has opened up about her fears after joining Celebrity Ex On The Beach, revealing she would love to avoid seeing ‘three’ of her exes as she prepares to star on a reality series.
Celebrity Ex On The Beach is set to return to television screens soon, with the full line-up now revealed, featuring the former Coronation Street favourite. Helen, 35, who is renowned for her portrayal of Rosie Webster on the ITV soap opera, has joined the cast of the Paramount+ reality series, alongside TOWIE’s Dani Imbert, one-half of pop duo Jedward, and Love Island’s Toby Aromolaran.
In a new sneak peek ahead of the show, Helen reveals why she signed up and what she is looking for in a man. She said: “My perfect partner would be fit, kind and funny.” She continued: “I think I’m single because I feel like I’m on my own kind of journey, I’m pretty free spirited [and] I’ve got quite a strong character.”
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Helen said she was “hoping to find a connection on the beach”, before discussing her past relationships. She said: “I was in a 13-year relationship with the father of my children. And then I recently split up with a boyfriend that I was with for a year,” she said.
Helen then revealed: “There are… three exes I would be dreading to see”. Helen and Scott first began dating in 2009, getting engaged in 2018 when the footballer proposed during a trip to Disneyland Paris. They had a lengthy engagement, with Helen confirming in 2022 that they had set a date for their wedding, but split shortly afterwards.
Speaking about the difficult time she faced after the end of her relationship, Helen previously told The Mirror that she suffered a breakdown.
The I’m A Celebrity star was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
On the explosive dating show, filmed in Tenerife, Helen will come face-to-face with her former flames, including her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair and boxer David Haye. The forthcoming series will also feature Married At First Sight UK’s Amy Kenyon, 28, and Love Is Blind participant Freddie Powell, 32.
Rounding out the line-up are Too Hot To Handle’s Izzy Fairthorne, 26, who is seeking her first-ever boyfriend, and fellow contestant Chase DeMoor, 29, who’s back for a second shot at finding love.
Meanwhile, former X Factor star John Grimes, who previously appeared on the ITV talent show alongside his twin brother, has described himself as a ‘total catch’ and says he’s looking for a ‘curvy, self-assured woman’ who can match his energy.
WHEN Gaz Beadle and Emma McVey announced their split in 2023, their fans were shocked.
Geordie Shore lothario Gaz had always described the model, who he had two children with, as his ‘rock’. But, just months after she underwent heart surgery, Gaz announced their eight-year relationship was over. Now, insiders tell us tension has been bubbling behind the scenes.
Gary Beadle and Emma McVey fell for each other in 2016 but it wasn’t an easy startGaz Beadle is now expecting a baby with his new girlfriendCredit: Instagram
Things are said to have reached boiling point after Gaz announced he was expecting a baby with his new girlfriend, Maia, 13 years his junior.
Our insider says: “Gaz and Emma have both moved on and are in happy, loving relationships with new people.
“But fans have noticed there is a level of competitiveness between them, and they seem to be trying to outdo each other.
“Emma got engaged, and then Gary announced he was having a baby. It was a huge shock and very eye-opening.
“She feels like she has a very small group of loyal friends, and exactly who they are has become very clear since her split from Gary.”
It’s certainly not the first time Emma has been blindsided by Gaz – she was shocked when he announced they had split during a Q&A with fans.
He casually revealed they had split three weeks prior and insisted there was no bad blood between the couple, who share kids Chester, eight, and Primrose, six.
Sources said Emma felt it was ‘unfair’ and was keen to announce it to her own followers herself.
She didn’t shy away from how hard the breakup was, in contrast to Gaz’s laissez-faire attitude.
In a heartbreaking post, she told her followers: “It’s been really hard for me and the kids to be separated. There’s been a lot of crying on FaceTime, which really breaks my heart.
“I’ve been numb and focusing on my children while still trying to work. I’ve honestly not known what to say. I’m hoping this will get easier in time.
“Sending so much love to anyone going through something similar, and thank you so much to everyone who has been checking in on me.”
If Gary took them to the park, the next week Emma took them to a theme park
Our insider
And when she moved on with a new man and a fan accused her of being unfaithful, she shot back with a jibe that appeared to be aimed at Gary: “I was unfaithful? What with someone I met 7 months after my separation? No darlin, you clearly have NO IDEA who was unfaithful.”
Our insider continued: “There was tension from the get-go but they masked it pretty well. They both doted on their kids whenever they had them, but fans noticed how they often posted competing snaps. If Gary took them to the park, the next week Emma took them to a theme park.”
Cheating allegations
Emma and Gaz first started dating in 2016, but just a year later, they called time on their relationship, with Emma accusing Gaz of cheating and dumping her by text.
She ranted: “When he’s been filming Geordie Shore, he decided to send me a TEXT ending things, telling me to move my stuff out of OUR home that I furnished and paid for without explanation.
Emma has also moved on and is engaged to James StaszewskyCredit: InstagramHer marriage to Gaz ended in 2023 – two years after they said I DoCredit: Sophie Eleanor Photography
“After begging me to go to Australia with him and making me leave my career, I still find out he still managed to cheat on me throughout our relationship and continually lie.”
But the pair reconciled, and in 2017, they announced they were having a baby. Their son Chester was born in January 2018, and their second child, a daughter named Primrose, was born in December 2019.
Gary popped the question while she was pregnant with baby number two – the whole thing was filmed.
They tied the knot in 2021 in front of 90 guests and their kids in Cheshire.
Bedding 1000 women
Gary appeared to be a very different man – his wild Geordie Shore days were well in the past.
He once boasted about sleeping with over 1000 women – his tumultuous relationship with Charlotte Crosby was well documented – but after quitting the show in 2017, he turned his life around.
He told us previously: “My life couldn’t be more different.
“My DM’s have changed dramatically, I can tell you that. It’s gone from mum’s wanting to shag me to mums and dads talking about colic, acid reflux, nappies, and bath toys.
“I had ten-years of partying and doing whatever I wanted. I was so used to life being all about me then I had a baby and quickly realised life wasn’t about me anymore.”
It wasn’t an easy time for any of them, as Emma suffered a series of debilitating health issues
The model, who once dated Towie’s Mario Falcone, had no idea she’d been born with three holes in her heart until a monitor was fitted following her second pregnancy.
Emma’s new man has slotted into family life – and now lives with Primrose and ChesterCredit: InstagramMaia has also grown close to the kidsCredit: Instagram
She’d suffered years of seizures, exhaustion and fainting episodes – but while the diagnosis was illuminating, medics were cautious about operating because Emma is also battling ulcerative colitis.
The condition, which affects roughly one in 420 in the UK, causes ulcers and inflammation in the digestive tract.
The steroid treatment used to treat it can lead to bone loss and breakage, which doctors warned could stop Emma’s bones from fusing back together.
I thought, ‘I’m going to get put to sleep and I’m not coming back out’.
Emma, on her heart surgery
Around Christmas time of 2023, her tricuspid valve – the valve between the two right chambers of the heart – further deteriorated, and the decision was made to proceed with the op in spite of the risks.
She later said: “I knew in surgery I’d be connected to a heart machine that would be keeping me alive while my heart was stopped, and I kept thinking, ‘They’re not going to be able to start my heart again’.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to get put to sleep, and I’m not coming back out’.”
It was a life-changing experience for all the family, and made their split even more surprising.
It wasn’t long until they both moved on, though. Emma started dating electrician James Staszewsky, and he became a huge part of her life and that of the kids as they set up home.
Gary had a brief romance with pro golf star Charley Hull, before falling for student Maia.
In what some felt was a dig at influencer Emma, Gary gushed about Maia: “I like how she’s got a normal job. Like, she got in at 8 o’clock this morning after leaving at half past 7 last night… 13 hours. She’s doing it again tonight, it’s inspirational.
Emma underwent heart surgery shortly before her split from GazLoved-up Emma with her new man – the couple are now planning to head down the aisleCredit: Instagram
“It almost brings me down a peg and I think that’s why I’m getting more normal and normal.
“I just love to pop to the pub for a bit of food and a walk with the dog, cutting the grass, like, I’ve become quite a normal boring person.”
The romances both came under fire and in a very surprising move they joined forces once again in order to issue a lengthy statement in which they addressed their marriage ending and the attention their new romances had gained.
‘One team’
Gaz hit back to insist they are “really good friends” and that they are both “happy and happy for one another” despite being in “new relationships”.
He added: “Both of us are in new relationships and we all get along well, and we can say we are so proud of ourselves to be able to all stay as one team.”
We’re told it was a brief period of calm for all parties involved but it wasn’t long that changed.
Gaz’s baby news was said to be one of those moments that rocked the boat.
Only a couple of years ago, Gaz had told The Sun he wouldn’t be having more kids, he said: “Two is hard enough. I think if you asked us before we may have said three but that was before we realised how hard it is.
“If we had two boys or two girls, then maybe it would be different but we have one of each, which is perfect.”
HARRY Styles recently dropped his new album, Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally, and fans have been in detective mode attempting to decode who his songs are about.
And they feel they’re worked some of the inspiration behind songs out, after decoding lyrics they describe as “heartbreaking”.
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Fans of Harry are convinced some of his new songs are about exes Kendall and OliviaCredit: GettyKendall and Harry had an on-and-off relationship for yearsCredit: SplashHarry and Olivia shared a ten-year age gap when they datedCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Harry’s new track Paint By Numbers sees him sing vulnerably, acknowledging a failed past relationship as well as the status of his own celebrity.
Among the difficulties of stardom and heartbreak, he’s reaching out for a glimpse of humanity.
He croons lyrics including: “It’s a little bit complicated when they put an image in your head, and now you’re stuck with it.”
But fans are convinced a later part of the song is directly reflecting on his relationship with former flame Olivia Wilde.
The part goes: “Holding the weight of the American children whose hearts you break.
“Was it a tragedy when you told her, ‘I’m not even 33’?”
The couple shared a ten year age gap, which the reference to not even being in his 30s could be pointing towards.
Fans also took to X to decode whether another track on the album called Season 2 Weight Loss is about his past relationship with Kendall Jenner.
Harry dated the model on and off for years in a messy situationship.
So hearing lyrics like: “Do you love me now?” instantly sent fans typing.
One fan gushed in response to the possible link: “HARRY STYLES OH MY GOD,” followed by some sobbing face emojis.
Though later in the song Harry sings about “coming back as a stronger version” of himself, possibly referencing the end of the cycle of on-and-off dating.
The deciphering comes after Harry’s tour ticket sales encountered frustrating mishaps for fans.
In addition to being set to perform 12 shows inWembleyStadium, Harry had one gig booked atManchester‘sCo-opLive in due to play this month.
Though many fans woke up to find their tickets to the event cancelled and refunded.
Ticketmasterreleased a statement on the decision to axe the tickets, explaining that some customers managed to purchase tickets they shouldn’t have been able to buy in the first place.
These include many of the£20 ticketswhich were later resold on other ticket selling sites, and therefore were no longer eligible for use at the venue.
Ticketmaster explained: “We’re working with the Harry Styles ‘One Night Only’ team to cancel and refund any orders that have violated the rules of sale.
“As all tickets are non-transferable, any tickets listed on unauthorised resale sites are void and will not get fans into the show – so we’re cancelling and refunding these.
“There is also a ticket limit of 2 tickets per person, so any orders above that are being cancelled and refunded.”
The majority of the voided tickets appear to have been sold on Viagogo.
Harry and Olivia split up in 2022Credit: SplashHarry and Kendall broke up for the final time in 2016Credit: Getty – Contributor