The steamy underbelly of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! has always been fertile ground for flirtations and feuds, but the 2025 series has delivered a plot twist straight out of a soap opera script. On Friday’s episode, broadcast on November 22, 25-year-old rapper Aitch—real name Harrison Armstrong—dropped a casual bombshell during a mid-shower confessional, admitting to fellow campmate AngryGinge (real name Max, a YouTube sensation known for his fiery gaming rants) that he harbors a “soft spot” for 34-year-old EastEnders alum Shona McGarty. Filmed amid the gritty rinse-off of jungle muck, Aitch’s unguarded remark—”I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Shona, me”—hung in the humid air like a flare, instantly fueling whispers of a budding “showmance” that has fans divided, producers grinning, and social media ablaze. As the duo’s innocent chat over “funky animal” dinner prospects played out on screen, complete with Shona’s quip about “tadpoles’ a***holes,” the internet erupted in a frenzy of speculation, accusations of scripted romance, and outright shipping. For Shona, fresh off a decade as Whitney Dean on the BBC soap, and Aitch, the Manchester MC whose hits like “Baby” topped UK charts, this jungle moment isn’t just camp banter—it’s a viral vortex sucking in viewers, questioning if ITV’s survival spectacle has crossed into Cupid’s territory.

The confession unfolded in the episode’s raw, unfiltered style, a hallmark of the show’s 25-year run that blends bush tucker trials with tell-all heart-to-hearts. Aitch, with his boyish charm and tattooed arms glistening under the outdoor shower, let the words slip while soaping off the day’s grime from a Bushtucker Trial where he’d munched on witchetty grubs for stars. AngryGinge, ever the empathetic ear amid the camp’s testosterone-fueled testosterone, nodded knowingly before the camera panned away to Shona, lounging by the fire pit in her signature oversized hoodie, oblivious to the eavesdropped endearment. Minutes later, Aitch sauntered over, his casual “Y’alright?” breaking the ice into a lighthearted exchange about the evening’s mystery meal. “What do you reckon we’re eating today? I’m going to be honest… I reckon it’s some sort of funky animal,” he ventured, drawing a playful retort from Shona: “Tadpoles’ a***holes? Something like that.” The pair dissolved into laughter, their chemistry crackling like dry kindling—easy, unforced, and utterly bingeable for the 10 million viewers tuned in via ITV and ITVX.

Late arrivals to the camp added fuel to the flirtation fire. Vogue Williams, the 40-year-old Irish TV presenter and podcaster, and Tom Read Wilson, the posh 33-year-old gardening expert from The Apprentice, made their grand entrances on Thursday’s show, immediately clocking the vibe. In a hushed Bush Telegraph confessional, Vogue—rocking a pale blue bikini that showcased her enviable six-pack—leaned into Tom: “I think Aitch and Shona might make a good couple.” Tom, with his clipped Oxford drawl, concurred: “There’s something there—innocent, but intriguing.” The endorsement from the newcomers, both no strangers to reality TV drama (Vogue’s Dancing on Ice wins and Tom’s Celebrity Hunted stints), lent an air of authenticity, but skeptics smelled scripting. “Ah, the Shona and Aitch chat is giving producer-suggested showmance vibes,” one X user sniped, echoing a chorus of 5,000 similar posts under #ImACelebShowmance. Another fumed: “Okay… let’s wrap up this Aitch and Shona storyline,” while a third jabbed: “What’s with the Aitch x Shona propaganda?”

Not everyone’s buying the cynicism. For every doubter, there’s a die-hard shipper, with hashtags like #AitchAndShona and #JungleRomance racking up 2 million impressions overnight. “I saw it coming from the start,” gushed one fan on TikTok, editing clips of their banter over a slowed-down version of Aitch’s “My G,” captioning: “EastEnders meets the charts—power couple alert!” Another enthused: “I’m rooting for Shona and Aitch,” while a third swooned: “They’d be sooo good together—jungle romance, please!” The divide mirrors the show’s enduring appeal: part survival gauntlet, part soap opera subplot, where fleeting glances and shared hardships brew more drama than any trial involving camel testicles. Shona, who quit EastEnders in 2024 after 15 years as the resilient Whitney, entered the jungle touting her love for “real connections,” while Aitch, the fresh-faced rapper whose debut album Close to Home went gold, cited “testing myself away from the mic” as his motivation. Their age gap—nine years—has only amplified the intrigue, with some fans dubbing them “the unlikely duo” and others waving red flags about “power imbalances.”

The buzz isn’t isolated; it’s amplified by the episode’s other eye-popping moments. Vogue’s creek dip, where she flaunted her sculpted abs earned from “endless squats” (as confessed on her Vogue & Amber podcast pre-entry), drew a torrent of thirst traps and body-posi praise. “Vogue Williams’ six-pack is genuinely inspiring,” one admirer posted, while another hailed: “Vogue Williams is #fit.” But her self-deprecating quip to Ruby Wax—”I’m so ugly”—sparked backlash, with detractors snarling: “Vogue calling herself ugly? Please,” and “She just wants everyone to call her attractive.” Ruby, the 73-year-old comedy legend with a lifetime of facelifts and frank talk, clapped back fiercely: “You’re the prettiest person I’ve ever seen in my life.” The exchange turned confessional when Vogue admitted to permanent lip liner and “loads of Botox,” prompting Ruby’s wry: “Oh really? I’ve got a lot of that too!” In the Bush Telegraph, Ruby reflected: “I’ve had things removed and lifted, and once told Jennifer Saunders you couldn’t notice. She said: ‘Are you kidding? Of course you can!’” The moment underscored the show’s knack for blending vulnerability with vanity, a mirror to its audience’s own insecurities.

Yet amid the glamour and giggles, darker undercurrents swirl. The show’s 2025 edition, filmed in the sun-baked Australian outback under new host Joel Dommett (stepping in for Ant McPartlin’s sabbatical), has faced scrutiny over its Bushtucker Trials—critics from PETA decrying “animal cruelty” in grub-eating challenges, while diversity watchdogs question the cast’s skew toward white celebs (only 20% non-white this series). Aitch’s “soft spot” admission, while lighthearted, has reignited debates on age-gap optics in reality TV, with Shona’s exes (including Max Bowden from Emmerdale) piping up on X: “Protect Shona at all costs—she deserves real, not ratings bait.” Producers, tight-lipped as ever, insist the romance rumors are “organic camp chemistry,” but leaks to The Sun suggest edited confessionals to amp the arc. “ITV knows a showmance sells,” a source spilled. “Aitch’s shower chat? Gold for sweeps week.”

As the jungle trek marches toward the December 8 finale—with eliminations looming and trials ramping up—the Aitch-Shona saga shows no signs of fizzling. Fan edits flood TikTok, syncing their laughs to rom-com soundtracks, while betting shops like William Hill peg odds of a “jungle kiss” at 3/1. Shona, ever the pro, addressed the buzz in Sunday’s Telegraph: “Aitch is a sweetheart—talented, funny, genuine. But let’s not jinx the camp harmony!” Aitch, strumming a makeshift guitar by the fire, echoed: “Shona’s class—makes this madhouse bearable.” Whether it’s fleeting flirt or full-blown fable, the moment has minted I’m a Celeb must-see TV, proving once again that in the outback’s unforgiving glare, hearts bloom where headlines lurk. For fans questioning the “producer push,” one truth endures: in the game of thrones down under, love—or the illusion of it—always wins the votes.