Actress Shona McGarty has broken her silence about rumours of a relationship between her and Aitch. The 34-year-old admitted that the 25-year-old rapper was too young for her, and they enjoyed a firm friendship instead.

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Opening up to the Mirror, she said: “Look I’m sure that Aitch would make someone a lovely boyfriend, but he’s a lot younger than me. I only see him as a brother, and I would only protect him as an older sister, and there was nothing romantic between me and Aitch at all.” The guessing game began after Aitch confessed his feelings about Shona to Angry Ginge admitting: “I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Shona, me.”

It led to Ant and Dec saying they were desperate for a jungle romance this year on the show. Shona broke up with her musician fiancé, David Bracken, earlier this year. Insiders say the split is amicable, and he recently wished her all the best for the jungle on social media.

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Shona McGarty talks to the Mirror (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

Aitch is also single after splitting with Lois Cottam before going into the Jungle. But Shona says: “Aitch was maybe 10 years younger than me. I mean, he was just like a little brother to me in there. I felt like I wanted to protect him. But also, what I love about Aitch is that he’s into music. So am I, and I think the way that we bonded was through the music. You know, that’s all we spoke about in there.”

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She also told how she had “two bad days” in the jungle with her anxiety but that her campmates helped her through it. The former EastEnders actress had been worried that her anxiety might “rear its head” in the jungle. And she admitted: “I had a few bad days in there, I think, like two bad days. But it was very easily sorted, because I spoke to my camp mates, who, you know, were very open with me and understood, and they wanted to understand about anxiety. They just got me through it. Because when you’re in there, you do have a family. Anyone I’ve ever spoken to says that you make such a big family. And I thought that can’t be true, because it’s only a few weeks, but I cannot imagine not speaking to these people again. These are friends for life.”

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Shona and Aitch(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)

Her comments about Aitch come as the rapper also said how they bonded over music – but were just friends. He insisted: “Obviously, I’ve not watched the show, so I don’t know what’s been put out there in any way or anything. But it was nothing like that.” He said that Shona and him were “cut from the same cloth” and have the “same sense of humour.”