The latest run of TOWIE comes an end this weekend and it’s safe to say it’s been one of the most dramatic series EVER. From Courtney Green’s feud with Dani Imbert and her boyfriend Liam ‘Gatsby’ Blackwell to Bobby Norris’ recent fallout with Amy Childs, the agg just keeps coming.
But, in a nice break from the drama, fans think there could be another Essex romance on the cards and, honestly, we didn’t see this one coming…
After Tom McDonnell stripped down to pose for Saffron Lempriere’s life drawing class, the pair have sparked rumours they could be growing close.
Viewers took to social media to speculate about a potential romance between Tom and Saffron in the comments section of a recent post on the official TOWIE Instagram account.
CHECK OUT the jaw-dropping TOWIE couples you completely forgot about
11 TOWIE couples you completely forgot about - slider
Mark Wright and Sam Faiers
Mark and Sam's on/off relationship goes all the way back to when she was 16 and they met on MySpace (aw, those were the days). They briefly dated during their time on TOWIE but were never able to give things a proper go before he quit the show in 2011.
Kirk Norcross and Amy Childs
Kirk and Amy's flirtationship was one of the main storylines during the first season of TOWIE and they eventually briefly dated before splitting in 2011. In a 2013 appearance on This Morning, Kirk admitted, "I will still love Amy until the day I die - she is literally like the girl version of me. When it didn't work out, it broke my heart really... and it wasn't her fault, it was both of our fault."
Gemma Collins and Charlie King
Gemma and Charlie briefly dated in 2012 but split after she grew concerned about his friendship with Bobby Norris. Two years later, Charlie came out as gay during an appearance on This Morning. He's still friends with Gemma and even admitted in 2017 that he would consider being the GC's sperm donor if she asked.What a turn of events that would be.
Lauren Goodger and Tom Pearce
Remember the days when Joey Essex's BFF Tom Pearce romanced basically every woman within a 10 mile radius of Brentwood? Lauren Goodger became one his many conquests following her split from Mark Wright but they hit the rocks when she caught wind of him bragging about their rendezvous.
Mario Falcone and Chloe Sims
It's fair to say Chloe Sims has been unlucky in love over the years but things looked up for her when she began dating close pal Mario. Things moved quick for the pair and she even admitted she loved him - causing friction with BFF Lauren Pope who'd previously dated Mario - but he wasn't ready to settle down and called things off.
Harry Derbidge and Bobby Norris
After three years away from the TOWIE scene, OG cast member Harry Derbidge returned as Bobby Norris' boyfriend (in some very skimpy swimwear, nonetheless) during the cast's annual jaunt to Marbs.Their relationship ended in tears though when Harry confessed to sleeping with his ex while on holiday in Tenerife.
Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh
They've now found love with soap star other halves Jacqueline Jossa and Ryan Thomas but before that, Dan Osborne and Lucy Mecklenburgh were an item.They began dating in 2013 but called it quits amid claims he knew about his ex Megan Tomlin being pregnant before getting with Lucy.
Charlie Sims and Ferne McCann
Ferne McCann's on/off relationship with Chloe Sims' brother Charlie provided LOTS of dramz on TOWIE over the years, with rumours she cheated on him cropping up more than once.Eventually Charlie publicly quit the show AND dumped Ferne at the same time in a series of tweets in 2014. Awks...
Dan Edgar and Kate Wright
Before she wed footballer Rio and became Mrs Ferdinand, Kate Wright joined TOWIE as the ex of Dan Edgar, who reportedly dumped her to star in the show.She took him back after his romances with Lauren Pope and Jess Wright but it wasn't to be and they eventually split for good.
Shelby Tribble and Tom McDonnell
Tom McDonnell joined TOWIE alongside a whole host of newbies including Harry Lee and Chloe Brockett in 2019 and soon caught the eye of Shelby Tribble following her split from Sam Mucklow.Sam soon came back on the scene though and Shelby dumped Tom to reunite with her ex. Sam and Shelby later quit the show together and are now expecting their first child.
James Argent and Jasmin Walia
In between his long-running relationships with Lydia Bright and Gemma Collins, James Argent was set up on a blind date with Jasmin Walia and they appeared to hit it off. Things seemed to move too quickly for his liking though, causing him to run from her house after being introduced to her parents. Oh, Arg...
One fan wrote, “Got vibes off him and Saff in this episode ❤️🔥.”
Another commented, “So funny and he was so brave. Got a little feeling of a spark between him and Saffron,” to which a third replied “I thought the same.”
Interesting… we love an unexpected TOWIE romance, tbh.
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There could be love on the horizon for another TOWIE star too, as James Lock has been spotted looking cosy with Love Island’s Rachel Fenton following his split from Yazmin Oukhellou.
Lockie and Rachel were pictured holding hands on a recent night out in London, although neither party has spoken out to confirm the romance rumours.
The potential romance comes just days after it was reported that Lockie’s ex Yaz has moved on with Lauren Gooder’s jailbird ex Jake McLean.
Yaz and Lockie ended their on/off romance earlier this year after it was reported they’d had a massive row on a trip to Dubai.
“We’ve broken up. We tried to make it work and we really thought it was going to be different this time but things don’t always work out as you’d expect,” he told OK! at the time.