Celebrity Big Brother winner Ryan Thomas has said he has no regrets about going on the show, and that people now know the real him.
The former Coronation Street actor was at the centre of a drama on the Channel 5 programme, when former Emmerdale star Roxanne Pallett claimed that he had deliberately hurt her with a punch.
Viewers defended the incident as play-fighting and the actor received overwhelming support from the public, and Pallett apologised for making a “massive, horrible mistake”.
Thomas told OK! magazine: “No matter what went on in there, I have no regrets about doing the show.
“It was scary to show people the real Ryan Thomas, but I’m grateful people liked what they saw.
“Every time I go out I get people stopping me to say hello and wanting to give me a hug.
“After my time on Coronation Street, I didn’t think the level of attention could get any bigger, but it’s grown since Celebrity Big Brother. People don’t call me Jason Grimshaw any more, they call me Ryan.”
Thomas is in a relationship with former The Only Way Is Essex star Lucy Mecklenburgh and hinted that marriage could be on the cards.
“She’s always dropping hints about what she wants to happen,” he said. “I think Lucy wants me to propose next year!”
Mecklenburgh laughed: “You’d better get saving because I want a really heavy left hand!”
For now they are planning to buy a house together in Manchester.
Mecklenburgh said: “We both know that we want to get married and have kids one day and we’re happy that our relationship is moving in that direction.”
The full story is in this week’s OK! magazine, which is out today.
