Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley left her fellow Loose Women panellists and the studio audience in stitches with a series of shockingly candid and X-rated comments about her crush on presenter Ant McPartlin. The 49-year-old star, who plays Mandy Dingle in the ITV soap, appeared on Friday's episode of the daytime talk show to discuss her recent stint in the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! jungle.
Jungle Confessions Spark Panel Gasp
During her conversation with hosts Kaye Adams, 62, Katie Piper, 42, and Jane Moore, 63, Riley was questioned about the crush on Ant, 50, which she had openly discussed while in the Australian camp. When Kaye Adams directly asked, 'Your crush on Ant... is that true?' Lisa didn't hold back. 'Who doesn't have a crush on Ant?! Come on. He's dead fit, right. Let's be honest,' she declared.
The conversation quickly took a saucier turn. Riley, who has been engaged to partner Al since 2018 after they began dating in 2014, explained her perspective. 'I said I'm a healthy woman who likes to look, yeah? I said he'd be really good in bed. I think he would be!' Her bold statement was met with audible gasps from the panel and roars of laughter from the live audience.
'Ant is Juicy': Lisa's Cheeky Comparison
Undeterred by the reaction, Riley then drew a humorous comparison between Ant and his presenting partner, Declan Donnelly. 'And Dec would tuck you in and read a story and give you a hot cocoa,' she quipped. When an intrigued Kaye Adams followed up by asking, 'What would Ant do?' Riley's reply was even more explicit. 'He'd give you a damn good night I think. I called him juicy!'
A clearly shocked Katie Piper responded, 'What did the jungle do to you?!' Riley defended her flirtatious nature, stating, 'I flirt with everybody. That's who I am. He [her fiancé] knows there is only one man for me. But yes, I will go to the shop and have a bloody good look. If someone is good looking you can say "You're lovely".'
From the Bush Telegraph to the Loose Women Studio
This wasn't the first time Riley had voiced her admiration for the TV host. She had initially made similar comments during her time in the jungle, telling fellow campmate Aitch that while Dec would 'look after you', Ant would 'give you a nice night'. When asked which presenter was 'tastier', she firmly replied, 'Ant is way tastier, oh god Ant is juicy!'
Reflecting on her feelings later in the Bush Telegraph, the actress laughed, 'I'm a red blooded 49-year-old woman and yes I do think Ant McPartlin is very juicy'. She cleverly compared her admiration to window-shopping, saying, 'You can go to Chanel, you don't have to buy anything you can look. I am very very happily settled relationship lady with my Al, but I can still have a look'.
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
