2017 has been a bit of a downer for famous people and their relationships, but we can all rest easy now knowing Olly Murs is happily loved up with another B-list British celebrity.
The diamond geezer, who made his name by coming second on The X Factor back in 2009 – before everyone got bored of the staged format – has only embedded himself into British television mush further, as he now takes up his rightful place as a judge on The Voice.
However, congratulations to Olly are in order as apparently, he’s managed to maintain his mediocre career while holding down a secret relationship with a fellow VIP.
GettyWho’s the lucky lady making the collective heart of the so-called ‘Murs Army’ break?
None other than loveable TV host, Melanie Sykes, who at 47-years-old, is 15 years Murs’ senior.
PAA ‘showbiz source’ told The Sun:
Mel loves a younger man and really fell for Olly when he got into shape late last year.
They were initially introduced through a mutual friend. They started texting for ages and some of the messages ended up getting quite saucy.
They were bonding over her fitness programme. He was a fan of her gym selfies and thought that she had an amazing body. Olly was getting in shape at the time and Mel really loved his new fit bod.
The playground gossip continued:
They ended up meeting for a date and have had a whole series of secret dates at his house where she will sometimes stay overnight.
They have both been determined for nobody to find out.
It’s been a bit off and on and there’s a real physical attraction between them.
@msmelaniesykes / InstagramIn April, Mel posted a picture on Instagram of the pair backstage with the caption:
Not much can get me out on a Saturday night but this guy has!
She tweeted:
Not much can get me out on a Saturday night but this guy has! ? @ollyofficial #gig @O2 #ollymurs https://t.co/yEATy2UNjY
— Melanie Sykes (@MsMelanieSykes) April 1, 2017
The well-known radio presenter, who rubs shoulders with other TV personalities like Alan Carr and Gino D’Acampo, wasn’t shy about her admiration for Mr Murs’ work.
She shared a couple of social media updates over the past year praising his musical stylings, after his gig at the O2 in London last December.
Posting a picture of Olly’s track Flaws, she wrote:
Love this track @ollymurs you sound like an angel makes me want to cry x.
He replied with a kiss emoji and wrote back:
Awwww thanks babe.
Who said courtship is dead?
Mancunian-born Sykes divorced her second husband, Jack Cockings – a roofer 16 years her junior – in 2014 after they met via Twitter.
Sykes, who is a mother of one, was arrested and cautioned by police for allegedly assaulting him before they split after seven months.
At the time, she said:
The divorce was the easy bit. [The hard bit was] being married to the wrong person. It’s always difficult to break up with somebody, but it’s been for the best and I knew it at the time and that’s why we’re not together.
You can watch her speak of the struggles of raising an autistic child below:
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Both Olly and Mel are huge Manchester United fans, and the lucky pop star even owns his own box at Old Trafford.
Three cheers for the happy couple, who I’m sure are both psyched their showbiz source friend has outed their relationship.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.