There are several things we are obsessed with here at Closer HQ; celeb hair transformations, Holly Willoughby and her love of midi dresses, the entire cast of TOWIE but more than anything we simply adore a reality TV crossover.
A reality TV crossover with our two favourite shows? Sign us up.
A reality TV crossover with our two favourite shows AND our favourite cast member? We might just cry from excitement.
During a recent Q&A on his Instagram, Essex OG Harry Derbidge revealed to his followers how he and his new bae, Joe Blackman, became a couple.
"How did you meet your boyfriend? Love you on TOWIE xx," asked one fan.
Harry replied, "We knew each other when we was kids because we used to compete in dance competitions against each other & and we both live in Brentwood so always knew of each other. Timing was right for us @joeblackman98."
Firstly, is there anyone who doesn't love Harry on TOWIE? The guy is the bread and butter of the show.
Secondly, that's real cute and all but when we read the word 'dance' our mind went on a little journey of excitement and manifestation.
Harry Derbidge dancing... Harry Derbidge dancing in sequins... Harry Debridge dancing in sequins on Strictly Come Dancing... Harry Derbidge holding the glitter ball trophy in December 2024 after dancing in sequins and winning the competition.
Somebody call the BBC because we have just found their first contestant for next year's show. We think it's probably a bit late for him to be part of Strictly 2023 seeing as the show starts this weekend.
Harry went official with his fella at the start of the summer, sharing a photo of them on Instagram and simply captioned the post with a "🥰" emoji which we can all agree speaks VOLUMES.
Fans were shocked that Harry’s new beau is not Junaid Ahmed but a digital creator named Joe Blackman. Junaid admitted last season, when the cast were on hols in Thailand, that he had a crush on Harry and the pair went on a date.
Harry’s co-stars filled the comments section with cute comments and questions for the new couple.
Chloe Brockett wrote, “Insta official,” with Saffron Lempriere asking, “Is this the new man yeaaaa.”
A fan commented, “Cuties,” with another declaring, “What a gorgeous couple.”
Another voiced what we were thinking as they joked, “Someone check in on Junaid Ahmed, congrats Harry, hope you’re happy x”
Now, what we all want to know is if Harry's new beau will be making an appearance on TOWIE?
Harry previously chatted to Closer about TOWIE’s immense success – which includes a BAFTA and a number of spin-off series.
He told us, “I walked into TOWIE clueless back in the day and here we are. I absolutely love the show and have no regrets at all. That’s why I’m still on the show 12 years later!
“Amy and I always say if it wasn’t for TOWIE, we wouldn’t be where we are today – and that’s why we said we will always be part of the show. The phrases ‘shut up’ and ‘well jel’ went viral – I remember walking into Topshop and seeing T-shirts with ‘shut up’ on them!”
Since his debut on TOWIE, Harry has gone on to front clothing lines and launch his own make-up brush business.