Robbie had the balls to chat me up... I've not met anyone like' him

THEIR relationship may have got off to a controversial start, but Helen Flanagan and new love Robbie Talbot are ignoring the drama.

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After keeping her fledgling romance a secret to begin with while filming Celebs Go Dating, former Coronation Street star Helen is now happy to tell the world about her boyfriend.

Helen, 34, said: "I've never met anyone like him. He's not only a lovely man, but he's really, really funny. And he had the balls to chat me up! Usually I don't get that, but he has so much confidence. And he really takes care of me." The pair met by chance in February at a restaurant, just weeks before the mum of three signed a contract for the E4 dating show.

Despite undeniable chemistry with Robbie, 44, a former footballer who owns a construction business, Helen went ahead with the series - even kissing other men.

She said her aim was to be "lighthearted" in the series, and not feel guilty about seeing other people.

She said: "We were dating, but it was early days and I wanted to do the show. I love the show. I told Robbie I was doing it and he said it was fine." At first, Helen kept quiet about Robbie on set, although she was in touch with him constantly. But eventually she couldn't hide her feelings any longer.

She told our sister title OK! magazine: "Things got really intense between us. And in the midst of filming I realised I was really falling for him. And that's when it became really tough to do." Robbie, meanwhile, dealt with things by seeing it as Helen's work.

He said: "We weren't as serious then as we are now. It was fine seeing her go on the dates. If anything, I looked at it as an acting job for her. She's done kissing scenes in soaps and stuff, so I was totally fine with it all." Helen came clean to C4 execs and the dating coaches - who even asked Robbie to go on the show.