Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood totally smitten with ‘absolutely adorable’ gardener Jonathan Myring
CRAIG REVEL HORWOOD finally has a smile on his face – and might start spending a little more time outside.
I can reveal Strictly Come Dancing’s Mr Nasty is totally smitten with a new man, 22 years his junior.
He’s dating horticulturalist Jonathan Myring after meeting via a friend during the Strictly tour and Craig has told me he’s “a keeper”.
In an exclusive interview, Craig, 53, said yesterday: “He’s absolutely adorable, gorgeous.
“He’s good-looking, 5ft 10in, dark hair and beard. We met on the Strictly Tour a month ago. He came to the show with a friend and we met backstage.
“We went on a date and now we’re an item, which is lovely.”
It’s Craig’s first relationship since his split from his partner of three years, BGT puppeteer Damon Scott, in 2016. He’s been seeing plenty of his new guy, who trained at Kew Gardens and specialises in Australasian flora, at Jonathan’s home in Leicestershire.
And the couple, above, have already introduced each other to their families.
Craig said: “He’s had a long weekend down at my country house, and I’ve been to stay with him. This weekend he’s coming down to stay again and we’re going to a 50th birthday party and meeting all my friends.
“I’m really happy. He’s absolutely gorgeous, super intelligent. It’s a bit too early for the L word but we really, really like each other. This one is definitely a keeper.
“I met his parents last weekend, went out with all his friends and crashed a 50th birthday in the village where he lives. We plan on seeing each other a lot. We have all our weekends planned until Strictly.
“We get on really well, the conversation is fantastic, he’s really sociable.
“He’s genuine, open and loving, it’s wonderful.”
Craig is playing a famous director in Nativity Rocks!, which will be a must-see movie this Christmas.
He won’t need to worry about who to choose as his plus-one at the premiere.
READ MORE FROM DAN WOOTTON'S BIZARRE COLUMN
A yes for X Factor Louisa
LOUISA JOHNSON is back with a top new single.
The X Factor 2015 winner’s track, Yes, sounds as feisty as an old PUSSYCAT DOLLS number and features US rapper 2 CHAINZ.
Louisa said: “As soon as I recorded Yes I knew it had to be a single. It instantly became my favourite song I’ve ever worked on.
“You can’t help but move when you hear this track, I hope everyone is ready.”
Louisa had her first top five hit in 2016 when she featured on CLEAN BANDIT’s Tears. Her last single, Unpredictable, a duet with OLLY MURS, topped radio playlists last summer.
She still has the X Factor.
Biz Bit
SOME of my favourite singers have signed up for BBC1’s Sport Relief fundraiser on March 23. MEGHAN TRAINOR, SNOW PATROL and KYLIE MINOGUE will be performing on the show, which kicks off at 7pm. That’s a strong line-up.
STORMZY is winning so many awards they are becoming a safety hazard.
One of his gongs recently fell off a shelf and injured girlfriend MAYA JAMA’s toe.
And in a bid to ease her pain, the grime MC poured rum over the wound.
The presenter explained: “I was trying to find an item of clothing that was underneath the shelf with some awards on.
“And one landed right on my toe and cut it . . . there was blood everywhere.
“So I screamed, ‘What do I do?’ And Stormzy suggested I go to the bathroom, wash it off and then put some brown alcohol on it. I was like ‘What, rum?’ I know you can disinfect cuts with alcohol but I didn’t know which alcohol.
“So, I’ve got a drunken toe.”
Wonder what the award was? Stormzy’s never won a Toe-ny.
MEL JESTS DESPITE EX’S SCARY CLAIMS
LARKING about with HEIDI KLUM on the set of America’s Got Talent would have come as a welcome relief for MEL B, pictured.
In custody battle papers that have just surfaced in the US, Stephen Belafonte, the SPICE GIRL’s ex, is reported to have branded her a drug addict and has accused her of lying about domestic abuse.
Stephen claims she was so high she walked into doors. He also alleges her bruised appearance on the 2014 X Factor finale was due to the effects of a hospital IV drip to stabilise her after she overdosed and banged her head.
His words counter Mel’s claims last year that she was forced to pull out of the first night of the finale because Stephen beat her up and caused her to take an overdose of Aspirin.
Stephen also rubbishes Mel’s claim that he forced her into threesomes.
He claims to have videos of the singer initiating and recording the trysts – and looking to camera and saying: “That’s hot” and “I like it”.
Gillian's having a Lara fun
GILLIAN McKEITH missed out on the role of Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider but she made up for it by stealing the limelight at a launch for the film.
Sources close to the event say the TV star wasn’t even paid to turn up but came of her own accord.
Gillian’s stunt left Made In Chelsea no-mark Kimberley Garner in the shadows on her turn.
I don’t think the film’s real Lara – ALICIA VIKANDER – has anything to worry about though.
BIZ METER: CHARTS
THE singles chart has remained pretty much unchanged, with the same top three tracks as last week. DRAKE, pictured, is at No1 for the seventh week in a row with God’s Plan, RUDIMENTAL, JESS GLYNNE and MACKLEMORE are still at No2 with These Days and DUA LIPA sits just below them with IDGAF.
MISSING out on an Oscar hasn’t loosened The Greatest Showman’s stranglehold over the album chart. The soundtrack for the film, starring HUGH JACKMAN, pictured, is in its ninth week at the top – matching Ed Sheeran’s Divide – to clinch the second-longest run at No1 in the last 20 years. Another two weeks and it will equal Adele’s 21.
ALAN TITCHMARSH has swapped compost for compositions on this week’s album chart. The gardener has reaped his first Top 40 success with a collection of tracks from the National Symphony Orchestra. A rap career to blossom next?
Biz Bit
DEMI LOVATO is using a dating app. The singer has signed up to celeb- endorsed Raya on the advice of comedian AMY SCHUMER. She said: “Now I’ve become really good friends with some people I met on there.” She’s missing the point.
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UB40's Ali partial to the odd pot veg-out
UB40 star ALI CAMPBELL, best known for Eighties chart hit Red Red Wine, has clearly moved on to something stronger.
The reggae frontman has spoken in no uncertain terms of how he perceives the health benefits of pot, and he wants it to be made more available.
Ali said: “I think it has to be de-criminalised in the UK because at the moment it’s like making potatoes illegal, it’s a nonsense, it’s ridiculous.
“We get it from the great dealer in the sky. It’s not a manmade nonsense, it’s not a drug, it is definitely medicinal. People like me have known forever that cannabis is a great medicine.
“Now more people are finding this out, especially in America, and they’ve legalised it in a lot of places there.”
The Brummie singer, back in the album charts this week at No2 with his old band, insisted: “It’s a very beneficial plant.
“We should even be eating the cannabis leaves because they contain more antioxidants and vitamins than kale or spinach or anything.
“I’m not averse to smoking a bit either.”
I’m going to take a lot more convincing than this, I’m afraid.
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