Celebrity Big Brother star Chris Hughes revealed his intention to explore a romance with newly single Ella Rae Wise before entering the house.
The former Love Island contestant, 32, confessed to fancying the TOWIE regular, 24, and called her a 'very pretty girl' ahead of their joint appearance on the ITV series.
Chris was also keen to establish whether Ella was still in a relationship with Essex co-star Dan Edgar, which she confirmed at the launch show had come to an end.
The racing presenter, whose ex-girlfriends include Olivia Attwood and Jesy Nelson, also hinted flirting with his fellow housemates would be on the agenda, saying: 'There's not much else to do in there...'
Being locked in the confines of the Celebrity Big Brother house will come as a welcome change for Chris, who says he has been inundated over the years with strange requests from his female fanbase.
Speaking ahead of the show's launch on Monday, Chris said one of his 'obsessed' followers wears socks imprinted with his face while others have offered to pay thousands for his worn underwear.
Celebrity Big Brother star Chris Hughes revealed his intention to explore a romance with newly single Ella Rae Wise before entering the house
The former Love Island contestant confessed to fancying the TOWIE regular and called her a 'very pretty girl' ahead of their joint appearance on the ITV series
Chris was also keen to establish whether Ella was still in a relationship with Essex co-star Dan Edgar, which she confirmed at the launch show had come to an end
When asked about housemate Ella, he said: 'She's obviously a very pretty girl. It's a weird one... I don't actually know her situation. I'll speak to her. I'll talk.'
On whether he's up for a flirt, Chris replied: 'There's not much else to do in there...
'Obviously, I'll always have conversations with people and give people the time. You can never preempt whether you can vibe with someone or not. So yeah, I guess we'll just have to see.'
Chris, who found fame when he appeared on Love Island in 2017, has amassed over 2million Instagram followers.
He revealed the extreme lengths some of his admirers go to support him and how the behaviour of one fan left him feeling uneasy.
'There's this one girl, I've never met her, but it's just someone who's an obsessed fan, but if a guy was doing it to a girl, it would be concerning,' he explained.
'I find it amusing because I feel like I'm in a safe environment to find it amusing. But she'd have her own socks with my face on it. She would dress, I think it's her child, in T-shirts with my face on it. I'm just seeing these videos in my DMs, and this is over the last six years nonstop.
'I get messages from people wanting to buy my worn socks and underwear. People offer crazy money for that. We're talking thousands.'
Celebrity Big Brother viewers have already noticed a spark between Chris and Ella following their arrival in the house during Monday's launch show
The ITV racing presenter revealed the extreme lengths some of his admirers go to support him and how the behaviour of one fan left him feeling uneasy
Chris, who was welcomed onto the show by hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best, said he isn't against talking about his famous romances including with the likes of Olivia Attwood and Jesy Nelson
Chris finished Love Island in third place with ex-girlfriend Olivia, who has since gone on to front her own ITV dating series, Bad Boyfriends.
During their relationship, it was revealed that Chris had been sending flirtatious messages to glamour model Katie Price, which she later discussed with Olivia.
The couple, whose volatile romance was captured in spinoff show Chris and Olivia: Crackin' On, ended shortly after the series wrapped and Olivia is now married to footballer husband Bradley Dack.
In 2019, Chris went public with former Little Mix star Jesy and the pair were together for a year before ending their relationship.
Two years later, he dated professional golfer Annabel Dimmock, but their romance was also short-lived.
Chris, who confirms he has been single the past three years, says he isn't against opening up about his previous celebrity romances while in the house.
He said: 'Relationships are a huge part of life and a huge part of what makes you.
'So, I think they're very normal talking topics especially when you've got 24 hours in a day like we have, and you are trying to get to know people.
'I don't mind discussing relationships that I've been in because I don't regret anything I ever did. I don't regret any relationships. It's just part of what makes you, I guess, and it kind of helps where you want to be in life.'
As he looks to the future, Chris says he hopes to one day have children and he's often preoccupied with thoughts of being able to give his father a grandchild.
He said: 'I'm in my early thirties now, one thing I've always wanted, because I love my family, and it plays on my mind, but I do want children one day.
'So, my dad in his lifetime can have grandchildren because my mum's got grandchildren. I have got half-brothers and stuff, but I'd like my dad to have one. I think that's just a nice thing. Yeah, one day.'
