After “six years of celibacy”, Jon Lee didn’t just dip his toe into the world of dating again – he jumped in headfirst by joining Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating. And to his surprise, the leap of faith paid off. Four months after filming, Jon exclusively reveals that he is head over heels with new boyfriend Jordan Fairhurst after hitting it off on the show. After suffering his fair share of heartache in life, it’s little wonder he can’t keep the huge grin off his face…
“I went on the show for a laugh, to be honest!” says Jon, 43, who is clearly smitten with his new beau as they join us for their first couple’s photoshoot. “I thought, ‘It will be nice to get out there and get on a few dates, but I had no real intention of meeting somebody. So, meeting Jordan was… a lovely surprise.”
Jon, who rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of pop group S Club 7, is known for hits such as Don’t Stop Movin’ and Stand By You, but over two decades later, the singer says the show was a chance for fans to see “the real Jon”, with the added bonus of finding love.
The couple have been making big plans for their future -Credit:Reach PLC / Matt Monfredi
And from the very start there was a spark with Jordan, says Jon. “We spoke about previous relationships and realised we’d had very similar experiences – unfortunately, bad experiences in the past – so we bonded over that. We both knew exactly what we wanted from a relationship,” he adds.
While fans watched the romance play out on screen, hairdresser Jordan, 40, says the couple had their own moments which weren’t always captured on camera.
“During filming, we’d go on a date for the show, but then I’d stay with Jon that night and we’d have our own date the day after, without the cameras,” he reveals.
“It looks like it’s just the two of us on these romantic Celebs Go Dating dates but really, there are about 15 crew members listening to every word you say, so you’re trying to be natural, but you can’t help but be aware that you’re not alone!”
This is the new couple’s first official photoshoot together -Credit:Reach PLC / Matt Monfredi
Viewers witnessed plenty of moments where Jon and Jordan locked lips – something that’s left Jordan slightly red-faced, after watching the footage back.
“One thing I wished the producers had changed was the kissing stuff – they made it look like we were snogging for hours, when it was literally seconds,” he laughs. “Every episode it’s just us necking!”
One person who was over the moon to see Jon meet his perfect match was his mum.
“Mum’s very happy, yes,” he says. “I’d always say to her, ‘I’m never gonna meet someone,’ but she always told me not to shut the door and keep an open mind. She always wanted to see me settle down with somebody, so when I came home and said I had actually met someone, she was shocked!”
And they couldn’t look more smitten -Credit:Reach PLC / Matt Monfredi
At times, however, the show wasn’t easy for Jon’s mum, as it saw him delve into some deeply emotional chapters of his past with dating experts Paul C Brunson, Anna Williamson and Dr Tara.
In one particularly raw moment, he opened up about the heartbreaking death of his father, Terry, who passed away from motor neurone disease in 2019, and the dark hole Jon fell into in the years that followed.
“I went completely off the rails. I went out, I was taking loads of drugs. It got to the point where I had to make a decision – sort myself out, or it wasn’t going to end well.
“It was very emotional for my mum to watch me talk about that,” Jon says softly. “But I talk about what’s happened in the past a lot with her and it always ends with her saying she is very proud of the man I am today.
“I went through something that was very, very difficult and, unfortunately, not a lot of people make it back if they go down the wrong path. I’ve not only come back, but come back confident and better than ever. She’s just happy to have her boy back.
“It was a little bit emotional to watch myself talking about all of that, but it was important for me to share. If you’re going to do something, then you need to do it properly – that’s part of the show.”
Jordan says he wasn’t used to seeing his romantic life played out on screen -Credit:Reach PLC / Matt Monfredi
Jon has been introducing Jordan to all of his nearest and dearest but admits his three ‘babies’ were the hardest to please. A proud dog dad to Indian rescue dogs Colin, Lolly and Bruno, Jon had his worries that the trio would be tricky to win over, but admits that his new man passed the test with flying colours.
“Bruno is the hardest to please,” he says. “It took two visits for them to get to know him, but now Jordan is Bruno’s favourite person! “He doesn’t like it if Jordan puts his arm around me, though – he gets jealous!”
While Jon says the couple don’t plan on introducing any more pups to the fold (“Bruno wouldn’t have it!”), Jordan is keen to expand the menagerie one day.
“We’d love to get a horse! Jon rides as well, so we would really like that, but it would need to wait until we live together one day,” he says.
Jon opened up about his darker times during Celebs Go Dating filming -Credit:Reach PLC / Matt Monfredi
The couple live at opposite ends of the country, a five hour drive from each other but, despite this, Jordan says moving in together is still a long way off. “It’s still early days. There’s a lot of stuff we need to learn about one another,” he explains, adding that they’re still getting plenty of quality time in.
“We are spending around four or five days each week with each other, going on our own little adventures, so it’s been really nice. Jon likes his alone time and I like my downtime, so we make it work.”
So what’s next? Well, the couple are looking forward to spending their first festive season together, says Jon.
The couple plan to have a ‘proper family Christmas’ together -Credit:Reach PLC / Matt Monfredi
“Jordan’s coming to mine in Cornwall, and it’s going to be a proper family Christmas. It’ll be the first time I’ve had a boyfriend at home for Christmas, actually.”
“Me too,” Jordan beams. “I’ve never had that chance to spend Christmas with my partner so this is shaping up to be the best Christmas ever!”
When it comes to this year’s present list, Jon might have to autograph some of his old S Club CDs, though. “My nephew is obsessed with S Club since meeting Jon,” laughs Jordan. “My best mate’s little girl loves them as well. Apparently they’re always playing Reach in school, so he’s got some very young fans out there!”
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.style.yahoo.com ’
