If you're a diehard TOWIE fan – i.e. you follow most of the cast on Instagram and have watched the trailer for series 34 – then you're probably asked the same questions we are right now.
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Why would Diags text that to Elma Pazar?
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What's going on with Dan Edgar and Ella Rae Wise?
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Is Amber Turner still on the bloomin' show?
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What the heck is going on with Harry Derbidge and Joe Blackman? And subsequently, have the boys actually broken up?
Harry and Joe's apparent relationship breakdown – allegedly partly influenced by communication with Junaid Ahmed – is looking to be one of the biggest storylines of the new series, and as much as we are gearing up for the drama, we are really feeling for these boys. Especially Harry, who has opened up more than once on Instagram in recent weeks – even publicly turning to his old friend, Gemma Collins, as the apparent dissolution of the romance became public knowledge.
While rumours about the decline of the boys' relationship have been doing the rounds for weeks, it appears that Harry and Joe were actually still technically together as little as a month ago, as back in July 2024 Harry opened up to Closer, saying, "This is my real life. Our relationship is hanging by a very fine string, and that really makes me sad because we do love each other. We know there are things wrong, but we’re trying to make it work."
When asked whether he still sees a future with Joe, Harry revealed, "I love every bone of him, every hair, and I wouldn’t want him to change. I love him exactly as he is. But we should be stronger than this. He upsets me, and I upset him. We’re hurting each other. I can’t be myself because I’m waiting for Joe to come into a scene and go, 'I don’t want to be with you any more'."
This time last month, Harry revealed that he and Joe had only filmed a couple of scenes together this series, and from the looks of ITV's promotional pictures that means at least one of these scenes takes place during the cast trip to Cyprus, the glamorous location for the series opening.
Harry told us, "We filmed together twice – we actually had an argument and he stormed off. Everything I have done is because I want to look after him. I say when things aren’t right, but I do everything to protect him. We’re just butting heads. We’re in a relationship, but I don’t know if there’s enough love there any more. I love him and he loves me, but the love is not coming together."
When asked if he's hoping for a reconciliation in the future, Harry replied, "I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought there was no love there. Once upon a time, we were so happy. We’ve had really good times, and talked about marriage and kids. There’s just a lack of communication."
Recent reports suggest that Harry and Joe have since split, and some corners of social media / the internet suggested that Joe has moved on with Junaid (although, according to Ella, there's now something going on with Junaid and Freddie Bentley), but none of us are going to find out for sure until the highly-anticipated series launches on Sunday 25 August on ITVBe and ITVX.
WATCH: Brace yourselves, a brand new series of TOWIE is on the way and it's going to be an absolute corker according to Junaid Ahmed
Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about Big Brother, Love Island and The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅