Famous Big Brother star Ben Jardine and Love Island’s AJ Bunker are secretly dating

Big Brother star Ben Jardine is in a relationship with Love Island’s AJ Bunker and takes him on their first romantic getaway together.

Ben, 40, and AJ, 29, were spotted at Circus Extreme’s official opening night earlier this month at the Lakeside Mall in Essex, before departing for Cyprus on Thursday morning.

AJ, who rose to fame when she dated 22-year-old islander Toby Aromolaran on Love Island last year, met Ben while training together for the Celebrity MMA Championship, set to take place in June.

A source told MailOnline: “Ben and AJ have developed a close bond and although they try to maintain their platonic relationship, there is no denying the chemistry between them.

Ben is determined to show AJ how much he means to him, and by taking him away, they both get a chance to be alone and get to know each other better.

“They’re both taking it slow as they’re unlucky in love, but Ben couldn’t resist the urge to give AJ a romantic getaway.”

MailOnline reached out to AJ and Ben’s representatives for comment.

Underwear: Me and AJ were first spotted earlier this month at Circus Extreme’s official opening night at Lakeside Mall in Essex, before heading to Cyprus on Thursday morning (pictured in April)

Famous for appearing on the 2017 drama Married At First Sight, Ben had been wanting to date AJ for a few weeks after falling in love with her during practice sessions.

She told her close friends that the Love Island beauty was joking that she would go on a date with her if she won her celebrity contest.

But his brash personality won him over when he initially agreed to take him on a four-day Cyprus vacation.

A close friend of AJ said: “We’re just getting started but AJ loves Ben and they’re having so much fun together.

“She wants to get to know him better before getting into a full-fledged relationship, but she seems fine between them.”

Ben has been single since both divorced the mother of his unnamed son while keeping his family life off social media.

Early Days: AJ, who rose to fame when she dated Toby Aromolaran on Love Island last year, met Ben while training together for the Celebrity MMA Championship.

Smitten: Famous for appearing in the 2017 drama Married At First Sight, Ben had been wanting to date AJ for a few weeks after falling in love with her during practice sessions.

In 2018, she made headlines after Ryan Thomas supported Roxanne Pallett during her tough fight in which she accused him of domestic violence during their tenure as Celebrity Big Brother.

However, after seeing footage of that moment in a post-broadcast interview, Ben soon learned he was wrong and was betrayed by the former Emmerdale player.

Ben’s appearance in Married at First Sight was equally eventful after he married Stephanie Saint Remy, and their relationship ended dramatically when he was accused of treason.

AJ arrived at the Love Island mansion late last year, but was kicked out of the show after failing to find a connection.

She had a brief affair with Toby, before turning her attention to her original love interest, Chloe, with whom she is still in a relationship today.

Take the Luck: AJ was reluctant to take their friendship to the next level, but on Thursday agreed to take Ben on a romantic Cyprus getaway.