Reality TV favourite Lucy Mecklenburgh has masterfully shut down a bizarre and completely fabricated rumour suggesting she was having an affair with her best friend's fiancé, Ryan Thomas.
The former TOWIE star, 32, took to her Instagram Stories with a brilliantly sarcastic retort after the wild speculation surfaced online, falsely linking her to the former Coronation Street actor.
"Well this is a new one," she wrote alongside a crying-with-laughter emoji, clearly more amused than offended by the absurd claim. "Me and my best friend's fiancé."
The rumours were particularly ludicrous given Lucy's close friendship with Ryan's partner, Emmerdale star Emma Atkins. The two women are famously tight-knit, making the alleged 'affair' narrative utterly nonsensical.
Lucy and Ryan have been friends for years themselves, often moving in the same celebrity circles. The baseless gossip appears to have stemmed from their innocent, long-standing friendship.
Fans were quick to flood social media with support for Lucy, praising her for handling the situation with humour and grace instead of anger. Many called out the toxicity of online rumour-mongering and the need to avoid spreading such harmful lies.
This incident highlights the often-outlandish nature of celebrity gossip and the pressure stars face from unfounded online speculation. Lucy's choice to laugh it off serves as a perfect example of how to dismiss nonsense without giving it any real energy.
