The potential romantic relationship between Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby and Married at First Sight’s Ryan Gallagher has been the will-they-won’t-they “romance” of this season’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

But on Sunday night, they finally shared their first passionate kiss in the South African jungle, after the UK television personality told Ryan, “I’m sat in this position for a reason”.

Charlotte told Ryan she was “scared to kiss with tongues”, but she did manage to curb her nerves and lock lips with the former Married At First Sight contestant.

Then she ran away, as she shouted “I’m shy!”

Ryan and Charlotte talk about the future of their relationship on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here. Post continues below.

Their possible romance is likely to keep viewers entertained this season, but there are some fans questioning the legitimacy of their flirtations.

Call us cynics, but we can’t help wondering if they might be right.

Don’t just take our word for it, though. Here, we’ve rounded up the evidence from both camps (pardon the pun) so you can decide for yourself.

Evidence that suggests it’s fake.

Their social media trail started way ahead of the show.

Consider this: prior to the show airing, the contestants on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here are kept strictly confidential from both the public and their fellow campers. And yet, Charlotte and Ryan seemed to already be familiar with each other.

Charlotte confirmed this when they both arrived in the jungle. During the first week she gushed to the camera: “So, the thing about me and Ryan is, we had never met but we have spoken on social media. I feel like we’ve had a little bit of a flirt as so it’s a little bit awkward.”

Ryan was equally as excited, saying: “She seems like she’s a lot of fun. She’s mad but I am also mad”.

“I’m happy to meet Charlotte,” he said.

View this post on Instagram

 

@charlottegshore and @Ryangallaghergram discuss possible romance outside the jungle but can’t seem to agree on how that’d go down. Is a break on the cards for this Jungle Love? #ImACelebrityAU

A post shared by #ImACelebrityAU (@imacelebrityau) on Jan 13, 2020 at 2:05am PST

Not to underestimate Ryan’s pull with fellow reality TV stars, but we think it’s fair to look at this situation with a raised eyebrow.

Host of The Spill, Laura Brodnik, agrees. Speaking on Thursday’s episode, she explained why.

“Before they both appeared on the show and got to the jungle and started filming, they started following each other on Instagram and liking each other’s pictures. Fans have kind of gone back and traced that and gone: ‘how would this international star, and this much less high-profile Australian reality star have this kind of bond before going into the show,” she said.

“They’re so intense with the secrecy for this show. A lot of the people who go on it, their family and friends don’t even know until they get to the jungle.”

And we agree: this does seem a little fishy.

Laura Brodnik and Kee Reece discuss the Ryan and Charlotte’s budding romance on I’m a Celebrity… on The Spill. Post continues below.

She also kind of ‘snubbed’ him prior to entering the jungle.

In November, Charlotte Crosby was in Australia on a nightclub tour (and probably signing her contract for I’m a Celeb…) and it seems like there was already a bit of (attempted) banter between the two.

On her way out of the country, Charlotte shared a photo of herself on the plane home, with Ryan leaving what can be interpreted as a rather cheeky comment.

“You off already, darlin? Catch ya next time x,” he wrote.

And she didn't respond??

Now, we want to know why she had the sudden change of heart when she went on the show.

WHAT ARE WE NOT SEEING?

They share the same management agency.

We admit this is a bit of a weaker link, but when combined with all the other factors, it does increase our suspicions.

Both Charlotte and Ryan are represented by the management company, Stage Addiction, who also look after The Bachelorette's Angie Kent and MAFS alumni Dean Wells.

While this could just be a coincidence, it does make it easier for their representation to coordinate press stunts and social media 'run-ins' to keep up their relationship.

The evidence that suggest it's legit.

Ex-contestant Dilruk Jayasinha says so.

Now that comedian Dilruk Jayasinha is out of the jungle, he's given fans some much needed insider info about Ryan and Charlotte's campside "romance".

Speaking to news.com.au, he said their relationship is legit.

“I have front row seats to that romantic novel, my bed was in between theirs for the first 10 days or so,” he said.

“I can give a first-hand account that it’s very real, and kind of disgusting.

“I find it so soppy and too mushy for me. I wanted more drama but it was all happy families.”

But of course he would have to say that.

It hasn't been smooth-sailing.

Charlotte and Ryan haven't just jumped into this relationship without expressing their real hesitations and emotions.

On Tuesday night last week, Charlotte, 29, told Ryan, 31, that she wasn't fully over her recent split from Love Island UK star, Joshua Ritchie. (She clearly has a thing for reality TV stars.)

"I'm not ready to jump in a relationship. Because I've just jumped out of one," she said.

And Ryan agreed. Charlotte later told cameras that perhaps she had rushed into things.

"I think with all the excitement, I came in here, there was attraction and all of a sudden, I had like, no food in me system and I had clouded thinking," she said.

"I was going light headed. I got carried away. Then I remembered what me mam told us, 'Do not be stupid and do what you always do'."

"You know what I've learned in the past? My mam is always right. I can't just jump into another one!"

So, why is this evidence that it is legit? Because you can tell there is genuine emotion there, and a genuine connection between each other, that is being stalled due to external circumstances.

Do you think Charlotte and Ryan's relationship is real, or just for show? Tell us in a comment below.