Ex on the Beach star James Lock is used to his private life being made public.
The TOWIE favourite, 35, has had a number of high-profile romances with his ITV co-stars, including Yazmin Oukhellou, 27, and Danielle Armstrong, 33.
James met Love Island's Megan Barton-Hanson, 28, on the current series of MTV dating show Ex on the Beach and sent fans into a frenzy when the couple were said to have hooked up.
However in true TOWIE style they were then said to have split up, so fans were naturally puzzled when James popped up on Megan's Insta stories this week - looking very cosy at her birthday party.
Speaking to The Mirror, James says it's now time to set the record straight.
He explained: "We never stopped talking since the show. There was a lot of articles saying it was a whirlwind romance, but then they said we’d split up. We’ve always been friends and we’ve always been in contact.
"We clicked very quickly, there was a connection. I don’t connect to everyone, but I’m very sociable, the life and soul of the party - which is pretty much the same with Megan.
James admitted the couple's connection was a surprise for both of them.
"it came out of nowhere, we didn’t think we were going to get on as much as we did," he said.
"It developed when we got home. There was lots of speculation about what we were, but we're happy not labelling it.
"We've just said we’re friends. It's not like we’re trying to hide anything. Out of respect for each other we don’t need to label it and we don’t see why we have to.
"You can clearly see we get on, we’re always having fun. We don’t owe anyone anything and we just want to enjoy it for ourselves."
On Megan's recent Instagram story, the pair certainly look like they're enjoying each other's company as the ex-Love Islander can be seen sitting on James' lap with her tongue in his mouth.
James explained the pair had gone out for Megan's 28th birthday adding that neither of them had drunk since the new year because they've been focusing on their health and wellbeing.
"She [Megan] wanted to let her hair down," James explained.
"We’re both strong believers in everything in moderation. We’re not the party girl and guy we used to be - we’re not out every week.
"We’re now back to being off the drink, focusing on our careers and where we want to be."
James is certainly going to be very busy in the near future with a number of exciting projects coming up.
He's bagged himself a huge role in gangster film The London Game and is also launching a luxury gym and lifestyle brand.
Speaking about his journey ahead, he said: "I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised.
"I know my gym brand is going to smash it.
"A lot more thing are going to be announced in the next month - it's an exciting time."
