BBC Radio 1 presenters Melvin Odoom and Rickie Haywood-Williams have thrown their support behind the blossoming romance between rapper Aitch and EastEnders star Shona McGarty, currently unfolding on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
"We're Rooting For Them": DJs on Jungle Romance
In an exclusive chat, the popular DJ duo revealed they have been closely following the action from the Australian jungle. Melvin, a former campmate from the 2024 series, confessed he is fully behind the rumoured couple. "Yeah, I'm rooting for it!" Melvin laughed. "They've been flirty. I genuinely think they'd make a great couple."
He even suggested a musical collaboration, a sentiment Rickie quickly endorsed. "Even if they don't date, they should make a track together," Melvin added. Rickie promised, "We'll get them in the Live Lounge if they do!" Their comments follow Aitch's own admission in camp last week that he had a "bit of a soft spot for Shona."
From Uni Mates to Radio Legends: A Friendship Forged
The pair also reflected on their own enduring bond, which began at university. "Me and Rick met at university," Melvin said, with Rickie interjecting, "Day one, actually!" Melvin recalled seeing Rickie as "the cool person" on campus who introduced him to UK garage music.
That friendship became a professional partnership that has lasted decades. "Rick got me my first real BBC radio job," Melvin stated proudly. "Working with a mate never feels like work. I genuinely see him as family." They shared hilarious on-air blunders, including Melvin's infamous mispronunciation of Sandra Bullock's surname and a dare that saw him visit a Greggs in Covent Garden wearing nothing but a mankini.
Jungle Insights and Championing Health
Drawing from his own 2024 jungle experience, where he finished ninth, Melvin compared the current camp's supportive dynamic favourably to his own. Meanwhile, Rickie admitted the show's emotional moments, like contestant 'Angry' Ginge breaking down, were the most striking.
While Rickie said he would "definitely" accept an offer to enter the jungle, Melvin ruled out a return for any All-Stars series, wanting to preserve the amazing memory of his first experience.
The conversation turned to their support for the new NHS Healthy Choices Quiz, a free five-minute online tool that provides a personalised health plan. "We're at that stage in life where we're taking our health more seriously," Rickie explained, noting their past reputations for partying. "The quiz is designed to help you take that one simple step towards a healthier lifestyle."
They also shared their joy for friend and fellow presenter Jamie Laing, who recently became a father, with Rickie predicting the energetic star was "in for a big awakening" with newborn duties.
