Thom Evans has been quizzed over rumours of a romance between himself and Nicole Scherzinger on Celebrity X Factor.
Rugby hunk Thom is part of trio Try Star on The X Factor: Celebrity.
According to The Sun newspaper, he and judge Nicole have hit it off behind the scenes.
A source claimed: “Thom is completely Nicole’s type. And for his part, Thom was smitten early on — he’s always said Nicole is one of the most beautiful women in the world.
“He fancied her long before meeting her on the show. He was initially a bit nervous about starting something up, and ruining his chances on the series, but they had great chemistry from the off.”
Questioned over the rumours on ITV’s Loose Women today, Thom said: “Look Nicole is lovely but I’ve been concentrating on the bromance… I just want to get to the final.
“Who wouldn’t want to date Nicole because she’s lovely.”
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with the Daily Mail, Thom said of the speculation: “She’s stunning. And has [romance] crossed my mind? Yes. But we don’t have much time.
“To be honest, we are focusing on the bromance and getting to the final!
“We are working on choreography, vocal lessons, and it’s all so full on. So there’s not a lot of time for much else.”
His bamdmate Ben Foden added: “Thom and Nicole are both beautiful and single. If something does happen it will happen down the road!”
Alongside Try Star – made up of Thom, Ben and Levi Davis – five other acts remain on The X Factor: Celebrity.
They will perform live again this weekend in a bid to make next weekend’s final.
Joining them are TV personality Megan McKenna, footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones, The Chase’s Jenny Ryan, social media influencer group V5 and duo Max & Harvey.
Those that make it through will go forward to the grand final where the winner will be crowned.
The X Factor: Celebrity airs Saturday night at 7:40PM on ITV, this week featuring a guest performance from Louis Tomlinson.
You can watch the show online as episodes air or catch up later via the ITV Hub.
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