Love Island winner Jess Harding spotted getting cosy with BBC presenter

Love Island winner Jess Harding has sparked romance rumours after being seen cosying up to BBC Three presenter James Blake during a star-studded night out in London.

The 24-year-old reality star, who rose to fame after winning Love Island in 2023, was spotted with Blake at the National Television Awards after-party at the O2 Arena earlier this week, but sources claim that they spent a huge amount of time talking to one another.

Eyewitnesses say the pair looked very close as they chatted and laughed together throughout the evening.

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One partygoer told The Sun : “From what I could gather, there was definitely a little bit of flirting going on. There was a lot of giggling, a bit of charm, and they looked like they were having a good night for sure.”

Another insider claimed the two seemed inseparable, saying: “They were introduced at the NTAs after-party and didn’t stop talking for the rest of the night.

“She was being pulled away by her Love Island friends who wanted her to have fun with them, but she kept going back to be with James. At the end of the night, they exchanged contact details so it looks as though there could be a date on the cards.”

Onlookers added that Jess and James spent “nearly an hour” together, making plenty of eye contact and having what appeared to be flirtatious banter.

Harding has been single since splitting from her ex-boyfriend Ben earlier this year. She famously coupled up with Sammy Root during her stint on Love Island in 2023, and the pair went on to win the ITV2 dating show in a shock victory.

However, their romance fizzled just months after leaving the villa in Majorca. Blake, 32, is making a name for himself as one of the BBC’s rising stars.

The Belfast-born presenter has fronted hard-hitting documentaries including Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang and Hunting the Online Sex Predators.

His work earned him the RTS Breakthrough Talent award in 2024, cementing his reputation as a broadcaster to watch.

The speculation around Jess’ love life comes a couple of months after she weighed in on the new season of Love Island. Jess took to Instagram to blast Antonia Laites for her behaviour towards fellow islander Emily Moran.

“Ok, what the hell, just because someone isn’t your cup of tea doesn’t mean you can cause a big drama over it?!” Jess wrote in a post after a fiery exchange between Toni and Emily that aired earlier this summer.

The reality star continued: “Toni girl I loved you but I don’t like b****y behaviour & pulling crying behaviour. Why can’t the girls be 1 big group cos these men be acting CRAZY.”

Toni had gotten upset after hearing a conversation between Emily and Conor Phillips, and proceeded to rant to Shakira about it. However, Meg overheard them, and warned Emily that Toni had branded her “nosey” and “Little Miss Sunshine”.

Emily was unhappy to hear this and ended up confronting Toni, in an exchange that spiralled into one of the villa's biggest rows of the season.

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