Forget The Bachelor - The I'm A Celebrity jungle has sparked a surprising number of iconic Aussie romances

Lauren Brant & Barry Hall

The first season of I'm A Celebrity didn't disappoint. With a star studded cast including the likes of Chrissie Swan and Andrew Flintoff, its easy to see why the series took off in Australia - but more importantly than anything else that season gave us was the iconic romance of Lauren Brant and Barry Hall.

While the pair met for the first time in the jungle, apparently it took a little while for the sparks to fly. According to Lauren who spoke about the experience in the years following, it was an innocent catch up a year later that made them realise there was something there.

"I think with being able to eat and have comfort and hair and makeup and all of that stuff which we didn't have in the jungle, we liked each other," Lauren told Nova of the catch up.

The rest, as they say, is history. Six years on from their stint, the pair now share three adorable kids, Houston, Miller and newborn Samson.

Ryan Gallagher and Charlotte Crosby

Reality stars Ryan Gallagher and Charlotte Crosby instantly connected on 2020's season of I'm A Celebrity. It wasn't hard to see why - these two were well acquainted with, um, on-screen hookups.

Yep, things went from 0 to 100 fast in the jungle. The steamy makeout sesh was plastered across every reality TV fanatic's newsfeed for weeks as the Geordie Shore star and former MAFS groom went on-screen official.

The pair took their relationship beyond the jungle too - and it did last a few weeks (practically years in reality TV land). But in February 2020, Charlotte confirmed they had gone their separate ways, explaining she and Ryan were "just not looking for the same things in a relationship".

Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich

Okay, so they didn't actually meet on I'm A Celebrity, but Bachelor couple Tim and Anna made a whirlwind appearance as intruders on the first season of the show back in 2015. Seeing they can get through the jungle in one piece, not to mention still as in love as ever, we reckon that's quite the achievement.

Yep, they're still just as loved-up to this day! The couple welcomed their first child together, Elle, in November 2020.

Abbie Chatfield and Ash Williams

The 2021 season of I'm A Celebrity has done nothing to quell the unexpected romance trend - from the first episode, fans noticed an unmistakeable spark between The Bachelor's Abbie Chatfield and comedian Ash Williams.

Things heated up quickly between the two, with many fans noting the chemistry between them when Abbie gave Ash a convenient massage just a few episodes in.

But a month after the show's finale aired, Abbie revealed she had no feelings for Ash during filming, explaining their flirtation was the result of boredom while stuck together in the Aussie outback.

"There's this weird thing, there's a lot of Twitter chat about how I am in love with Ash and I'm obsessed with Ash," Abbie said on her It's A Lot podcast.

"I never had feelings for Ash, I got a lot of DMs from you guys like 'you're too good for him, can't you see he doesn't like you' and I'm like but I didn't like him either! Got along really well, we were really good friends in there. We cuddled literally all day, everyday, because we needed affection."

The former Bachelor breakout star revealed the pair caught up for coffee after filming wrapped, but their hang-out was purely platonic.

Pettifleur Berenger and Ash Williams

The Real Housewives of Melbourne star claimed Ash pursued her behind Abbie's back during their time filming, saying the comedian ruined her reputation after pretending to be keen on her.

"I didn't know he talked from two sides of his mouth. We were friends and my question that looked really cringing was: 'You said you like me and I'm the person you're interested in, and not Abbie. So if I gave you the green light, what would you do?'" she told The Herald Sun.

"And he says: 'Maybe I'd go for it'. Then he goes to Grant Denyer and tells what I said and he should have told me no."

Pettifleur said she came across as an "old bag" who wanted to pursue a younger man.

Maria Thattil and Joey Essex

What happens when you cross a former Miss Universe Australia with a British reality TV star in the 2022 season? A fair bit of flirting, that's what.

"Joey's gorgeous and you know, we were attracted to each other from the get-go … we connected really quickly over very, very long and open conversations," Maria told Now To Love.

While some viewers claim the romance between Maria and Joey was all for the cameras, she insists "whatever they had in there" was rooted in a solid friendship first.

"It was [rooted] in banter and enjoying each other's company, being attracted to each other was just the cherry on the cake in that situation," she said.

"It was nice to have somebody I could be close to and intimate with in that way. I'm so glad he was there to make those memories with."