Lauren Steadman says Joey Essex is like an "older brother" to her.
Lauren Steadman
The 27-year-old Paralympian grew close to the 29-year-old reality star after the two spent the majority of their time on 'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins' bickering.
Lauren is quoted by The Sun newspaper's Bizarre TV column as saying: "It felt like I was with my little sister. I'd go over to him and give him a hug or he'd come over when I'd been shouted at and he'd just squeeze my hand. It was kind of beautiful to see how we'd gone through one moment of 'Grrr!' to then being, 'Come here!'
"All I can describe it as is like a younger sister and older brother."
The pair had plenty of squabbles on the celebrity survival series, and Lauren broke down in tears over Joey's apparent lack of effort after former soldier Ant Middleton paired them up for a challenge which saw them carrying a large log for miles across some rough terrain.
She previously said: "There was one moment I cried. I felt that Joey hadn't pulled his half of what we were trying to do in the task.
"I had to put a really heavy log on my right shoulder, which doesn't have much muscle anyway because I only have one arm, so it was tough.
"I got a bruised bone and it got to the point that I was just, like, I feel like I'm doing this myself. That made me break down - it was pure frustration."
However, they have since made up, with Lauren praising the former 'TOWIE' star for showing a different side to him.
She added: "Joey really wanted to show everybody there are more elements to him than what everyone else perceives. I think he was a trouper."
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