I Was Selfish With My Ex - I've Learned From My Mistakes

Pop star Olly Murs opens up about his love life, and hanging out in Hollywood with his Essex pal Mark Wright.

- Jane Oddy

He earned his heartthrob status after winning over viewers on The X Factor in 2009, and has since been linked to fellow stars including presenter Mel Sykes and former X Factor winner Louisa Johnson. But Olly Murs admits that dating as a celebrity can prove tricky.

He tells Closer, “Dating isn’t hard for me; it’s harder for girls who meet me. They might already have a preconception of me and I might not be what they expect. They’re also entering a world that’s quite different, they could get papped and end up in the paper. They may think that I’m not as good-looking as I seem on TV, or they might think I’m not as nice in real life. Whereas, for me, I’m just meeting them for the first time. Maybe that’s why I am still single!”

HEARTBROKEN

Olly’s last serious relationship was with property manager Francesca Thomas. The couple dated for three years, before the Troublemaker singer ended things in September 2015. Francesca has since become engaged to someone else.

His album 24 Hrs was partly inspired by their split, and Olly has hinted in the past that the break-up was a “mistake”, after previously revealing he was heartbroken.