When the line-up for this year’s Celebrity Big Brother was announced there was much speculation about a sizzling romance between Love Island hunk Chris Hughes and The Only Way is Essex star Ella Rae Wise.
But with Ella being in an 18-month relationship with her Essex co-star Dan Edgar, bosses weren’t holding out much home for a ‘showmance’ between the two.
So when Ella revealed that she’d actually split from Dan a week before entering the Big Brother house, there was much excitement behind the scenes of the ITV show as well as amongst the show's fans.
All eyes were on the pair’s first meeting inside the house, and every interaction in those first few days was seen as them flirting with each other.
Ella was open about being single but failed to get Chris’s attention. Instead, he’s developed a close and platonic friendship with Dance Mom's star JoJo Siwa, who has a girlfriend.
And while there have been reports that the only reason Chris hasn’t made any moves on Ella is because of the ‘bro code’ and his friendship with her ex-boyfriend Dan, we can reveal that it’s all to do with their agents, who are rival brothers Chris and Ben Drake.
There was much speculation about a sizzling romance between Chris Hughes (pictured) and The Only Way is Essex star Ella Rae Wise when they entered the Celebrity Big Brother house
Fans had tipped the pair to form a romance when they moved into the house, but in reality the pair have kept a noticeable distance from each other
Instead, viewers have seen Chris form a close friendship with dancer JoJo Siwa, with their intimate bond setting tongues wagging among fans
Chris, who was on The Only Way is Essex for seven seasons before quitting in 2014, and was nicknamed ‘Little Chris’ set up talent agency All Star Entertainment with his brother Ben back in 2016.
But a year later, following fall out, Chris walked away from the company he’d started up and set up rival agency Off Limits Entertainment in 2017.
All Star Entertainment was later renamed as All Star London and the two brothers have never spoken since.
A source close to the pair said: ‘Chris Hughes has been with Chris Drake at Off Limits Entertainment since he came out of the Love Island villa while Ella is represented by his brother Ben Drake at All Star London, which was formerly All Star Entertainment.’
‘But what people don’t realise is the two brothers had a terrible falling out some years ago which saw Chris leave All Star Entertainment and set up on his own.’
‘The brothers have rarely spoken since so there was no-way that two of their biggest clients were ever going to go anywhere near another.’
‘Although it would seem Ella didn’t quite get the memo with her antics inside the house.’
‘But Chris has always been very loyal to Off Limits, they signed him the moment he walked out of the Love Island villa and they’ve helped him carve out a successful career as a sports presenter.’
Chris, who was on The Only Way is Essex for seven seasons before quitting in 2014, and was nicknamed ‘Little Chris’ is Chris Hughes agent
Chris is also pals with Dan Edgar who previously dated Ella Rae Wise
It's now been revealed that Chris and Ella have actually kept their distance, as their agents are rival brothers who have set up their own companies
‘He knows exactly what went down between the brothers and just would not go anywhere near a client of Ben’s out of loyalty to Chris.’
‘Agents often work together to get their clients more attention and brand deals but this was never going to happen with Chris and Ella.’
‘Chris was never ever going to start anything with her.’
It comes as JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes' close bond has become the talk of the series after becoming inseparable during their time in the Celebrity Big Brother house.
However, their ever-growing closeness has led to question marks over her relationship with her partner Kath Ebbs, who she has been dating since last year
New videos of Chris and JoJo, who came out as pansexual in 2021 but recently described herself as gay in an interview, will do nothing to quieten talk about their intimate relationship, with viewers hooked over their close-knit bond.
Clips that weren't aired during the main show, saw Chris and JoJo in bed together with the reality star lying on her chest before they pulled the duvet over their heads.
Another surprising video showed them dancing together in the garden, with Chris momentarily distracted by 'how good' JoJo looked.
While the former Dance Moms star was trying to teach Chris a routine, he lost himself and was caught staring at his co-star JoJo in an intense moment.
