Chris Hughes shares surprising truth about JoJo Siwa relationship
It's been a year since the crossover no one expected turned into the relationship we're all obsessed with.
Seriously though, who'd have thought when ITV producers threw Love Island favourite Chris Hughes and Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa into the Celebrity Big Brother house 13 months ago that they'd strike up a passionate transatlantic love affair?
Celebrating their one-year anniversary last month, 33-year-old Chris wrote of JoJo on Instagram: "The first thing I ever said to you was, 'You’re very colourful, and that colour still radiates every day! It's flown by, feels like yesterday I got out of the bb house, crazy universe."
Speaking candidly to Tyla this week, the reality TV legend claimed their long-distance romance isn't always plain sailing - especially when it comes to the opinions and expectations of other people - but there's one aspect he's found surprisingly easy.
Advert
'Other people think it's harder than it is'
"When I speak to the people around me, I think everybody thinks it’s more of a struggle than it is," Chris laughed. "I don’t find it a struggle to fly over there, or for her to fly over here. I quite like it. The jet lag is never fun, but I like the element of travelling.
"It’s a different level of excitement. It’s never been too stressful."
Chris currently lives in Surrey, South East England, while Nebraska-born child star JoJo is based approximately 5,453 miles away, in Los Angeles, California.
"Obviously, yes, you’re seeing each other less than you would if you lived an hour or two down the road, or in the north of England, I get that," he told us.
"But being in different countries is quite nice. You can learn different things about each other; it’s fun. It works."
Chris had only been back on his home turf for three days when he caught up with us, having been out in the Sunshine State the week prior to celebrate JoJo's 23rd birthday.
"We had a lovely few days at home with her family, played lots of golf - she’s now started playing golf, it’s her new thing," he laughed. "So that’s a great excuse to get out there.
"Things are going great. I’ll see her again next month. Obviously, we try to see each other as much as we can, but I’ve got a lot of work over here, and she’s got work over there, so we spend a lot of time apart.
"It’s completely understandable, but it’s never easy to say goodbye."
Distance hasn't been the only obstacle that Chris and JoJo have overcome since going public with their romance last year.
'People have their right to their opinions'
The first was JoJo's ex-girlfriend Kath Ebbs, whom she savagely dumped for Chris at the Celebrity Big Brother wrap party, just hours after the series ended, and who subsequently dragged the couple in a scathing interview.
"I was so sad, because I loved him on Love Island," Ebbs said on The Mitch Churi Chat Show podcast, accusing JoJo of 'emotionally cheating' with Chris during their time on the series.
Then, a number of Chris' former flames took it upon themselves to fire digs at the happy couple, including his Love Island girlfriend, Olivia Attwood.
After he and JoJo first went public, one TikTok user asked in a video: "I’m sorry, I need to know what’s Olivia Attwood’s reaction to this Chris and JoJo thing. What in the Big Brother, Love Island, ITV, Dance Moms is going on, like. I feel like going from Olivia Attwood to JoJo Siwa is actually crazy to me."
Responding, Bad Boyfriends star Olivia, 35, simply wrote of JoJo in the comments: "She’s really famous," a remark that fans quickly interpreted as a clout-chasing accusation against Chris.
Despite early-day hurdles, Chris told us he's gotten used to brushing off hurtful comments from critics.
"You’ll have people online with opinions, but people are entitled to their opinions. When people aren’t nasty or hateful with them, you can accept them," he said.
How about exes, though?
"It’s someone else’s life - things in the past are in the past," Chris continued. "No past relationship would ever be at the forefront of my mind. I don’t regret any relationships I’ve ever been in, because at the time, they felt right. But yeah, strange."
With no past romances standing in their way, we asked Chris how he envisages his future with 'Karma' singer JoJo.
'I'd love to have a family'
"We’re living the moment, but one day, it’d be lovely to have kids," he gushed. "My brother has just had a daughter, which is lovely, so I’ve got a niece. It’s very sweet. When I see it all happening, it’s something I, for sure, would want.
"I come from a very close family, so I’d love to have my own one day."
For now, he plans to continue teaching JoJo about British culture and picking up some of her Americanisms.
"She loves football now. I’m, obviously, a Sunderland fan, she is, too," the TV star smiled. "It’s the end of the season now, but she checks for Sunderland results - she won’t even tell me, she’ll just check. It’s part of her day-to-day now.
"She’s also a big tea drinker now. Americans have tea, but they don’t put milk in it, which is very strange. I don’t like tea unless it has milk in it. She doesn’t mind a roast dinner, but she doesn’t like parsnips."
Outside of romance, Chris recently partnered up with PureGym for the brand's new Joy Stroll movement.
The collaboration came after alarming new research found that Brits are spending more than two hours a day doomscrolling, which is actually the equivalent of dragging their thumbs 12km every month.
As such, he'll take part in a hero Joy Stroll event in Manchester on Thursday 28th May.
Discussing the message behind the campaign, Chris explained: "It's about reminding yourself of all the benefits there are to putting your phone down, getting outside and going for a walk. It's about achieving that reconnection with life outside and boosting those serotonin levels.
"There are days when I get my 10,000 steps in daily, and when I'm able to do that, I feel unbelievable for it. You get a real sense of achievement, and your body and mind feel awake and alive."
He added: "It's a great campaign with a great message behind it."
To register for the event, head to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/joy-stroll-by-puregym-tickets-1989305552458.
Topics: Love Island, Chris Hughes, JoJo Siwa, Celebrity, US News
Rhianna Benson