JoJo Siwa has confirmed her relationship with Chris Hughes has turned romantic.
The two sparked dating rumors during their time on โCelebrity Big Brother UK.” At the time, Siwa was in a relationship, which ended shortly after the cast left the Big Brother mansion.
Siwa, 22, told The Guardian her connection with Hughes, a 32-year-old former “Love Island” star, is โnot platonic any more.โ
โItโs not platonic any more, and itโs been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and Iโm absolutely head over heels for him and heโs the same way,โ Siwa said in an interview published Monday, June 2.
When asked if she has a message for anyone thinking the relationship is a โPR stunt,โ Siwa told the publication, โClearly, youโve never been around us.”
โI wonโt ever speak for him, but for me personally, the happiness in my life just radiates off of me right now,โ she continued. โLiterally yesterday, I was massaging my cheeks; Iโve never (before) been in pain from smiling so much.โ
The two became close friends on the reality competition show while she was still in a relationship with ex Kath Ebbs. After the series wrapped, Ebbs revealed in a since-deleted TikTok that Siwa ended their relationship at the show’s April afterparty. Siwa then confirmed they were no longer together.
In the โCelebrity Big Brotherโ house, fans quickly noticed Siwa and Hughesโ natural chemistry, which she told The Guardian was โa very genuine connection โ weโre not faking a thing.โ
After leaving the house in late April, Siwa and Hughes remained inseparable, sharing pictures and videos together on social media, including playing game night with the singer’s family.
But it’s taken some time for the two to say whether their relationship was romantic.
In their first joint interview after the show’s finale, Hughes described their connection at the time as a โsoulmate friendship.” Siwa agreed at the time, calling their relationship โplatonic.โ
In a carousel of photos posted to Instagram last month for her birthday, Siwa opened with a shot of her nuzzled into Hughes’ neck with his hand on her thigh. He shared a similarly cozy black-and-white image last month, among other pictures together, writing, โThe previous 7 days have been the prettiest…โ
While confirming the romance, Siwa told The Guardian she understands why dating rumors have created such a buzz.
โPeople can see our chemistry, and they got to see it develop,โ she said, later adding, โI think everyoneโs just curious, and I canโt blame them.โ
After previously coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in 2021, Siwa said on โCelebrity Big Brotherโ that she prefers to describe herself as โqueerโ rather than โlesbian.โ
On June 1, Siwa celebrated the start of Pride Month with a loving message on her Instagram story.
โHappy day 1 of the happiest month,โ she began, adding a rainbow hue of hearts to represent the colors of the Pride flag.
โWhat I have learned over the last 22 years is that pride is all about love, acceptance, and celebration. No matter who you are or what you are, you are you, you are beautiful, and you are perfect,โ she wrote at the time. โEveryoneโs story is different and everyoneโs journey is different.โ
โThe most beautiful thing about love is that itโs just love,โ she continued. โHappy pride to the beautiful lgbtqia+ community, to the alias, and to all that exist :).โ
