Shona McGarty has sparked romance rumours with her EastEnders co-star Tony Discipline after the pair posed for cosy red carpet snaps together.
The actress, 34, had enjoyed a night out with the soap star at the Women’s Football Awards last week, and shared snaps from the evening on Instagram.
She captioned the post: ‘What a great evening at the @womensfootballawards last week!
‘Such an incredible opportunity to celebrate the heroes driving women’s football forward on and off the pitch!’
The post sparked a sea of comments speculating whether Shona and Tony were ‘soft-launching’ their romance.
The pair played couple Whitney Dean and Tyler Moon on EastEnders, with Tony leaving the soap in 2013 after two years, while Shona bowed out in 2023.
Shona McGarty has sparked romance rumours with her EastEnders co-star Tony Discipline after the pair posed for cosy red carpet snaps together
Fans commented: ‘Looking pretty good together;’
‘Is this a soft launch???; PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE A COUPLE OH MY GOD; New man?’
Shona split from her fiancé David Bracken, in November, just months after they had got engaged.
She and Tony had previously enjoyed a mini-reunion in March when they shared a snap together while partying for St Patrick’s Day.
In December, Shona placed third in the latest series of I’m A Celebrity, behind winner AngryGinge and runner-up Tom Read Wilson respectively.
During her time in the jungle, romance rumours surrounded Shona and her co-star, rapper Aitch (real name Harrison Armstrong).
Shona addressed the rumours after joining Fleur East, Will Best and James Barr on the Hits Radio Breakfast Show on Tuesday, where she reflected on her time in the jungle and set the record straight on any blossoming romance.
She shared: ‘I came out, and apparently me and Aitch were in a relationship…
The pair had previously enjoyed a mini-reunion in March when they shared a snap together while partying for St Patrick’s Day
The pair played couple Whitney Dean and Tyler Moon on EastEnders, with Tony leaving the soap in 2013 after two years, while Shona bowed out in 2023
After Shona shared snaps with Tony while attending the Women’s Football Awards last week, fans commented whether she was ‘soft-launching’ their romance
‘He’s great, still my little brother! He’s so fun to be around, he’s just hyper, and he matched my level of hyper.
‘He hasn’t been round for karaoke yet, but it’s on the cards.’
Elsewhere, Shona recently opened up about what her mental health had been like prior to entering the jungle.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘Before I came in here, I couldn’t even sit on the toilet without scrolling on TikTok. You know?
‘I don’t remember the last time I had a real deep conversation with my mom and dad. Because you’re just constantly replying to emails or scrolling or WhatsApp.’
Before entering the jungle, Shona said that poor mental health had been having a significant impact on her life, but she had reached a place where she no longer wanted ‘to let the anxiety win.’
Shona, who was open about her struggles with anxiety on the show, is now encouraging others to put their phones away after being helped by her experience in the jungle.
The actress-turned-reality-star advised: ‘For anyone struggling with anxiety, I would honestly recommend putting your phone away.
‘Go somewhere with someone that you love dearly, whether it be a family member or partner [and have] no distractions.
‘Eat food that makes you happy, don’t drink alcohol, no stimulus, no caffeine, nothing like that. Cut the sugar out, and I promise you, in a couple of weeks’ time you’ll feel completely present.
‘For me, [this] was a real part of the therapy in [the jungle] and I really recommend it for anyone. Maybe not the jungle [though].’
Opening up further about how the experience changed her for the better, she said being ‘completely present’ with her campmates helped her make ‘friends for life’.
She said: ‘I had a few bad days in there. But it was very easily sorted because I spoke to my campmates who, you know, who were very open with me.
‘They wanted to understand about anxiety and they just just got me through it.’
