Who is I’m a Celeb’s Shona McGarty’s fiance – and are they still together?

One of the advantages of being stuck in a tropical jungle in Australia for roughly three weeks – and let’s be honest, there aren’t many – is a chance for I’m A Celebrity contestants to properly reflect on events in their lives, away from the usual hustle and bustle of showbiz life.

The stars, chatting with each other over days, tend to become more reflective and open in discussing personal details from their lives, like AngryGinge admitting he was homesick for his family, or Jack Osbourne emotionally marking four months since the death of his dad, Ozzy Osbourne.

Naturally, the conversation often ends up on loved ones at home, and whether contestants are single or loved up. Ruby Wax has shared that her cats are her number one love at home (apologies to her husband, Ed Bye), while AngryGinge revealed the brutal moment he was dumped, by text, on a live stream.

But someone who’s been rather quiet on their romance status is former EastEnders star Shona McGarty, who played Whitney Dean in the soap until last year. So is the actor in a relationship with anyone, or is she looking for love in the jungle?

ITV/Shutterstock

Who is Shona McGarty dating?

Prior to going into I’m A Celebrity, Shona was engaged to Irish musician David Bracken, who had messaged her on TikTok in 2023, asking the triple-threat performer if she’d like to collaborate on a song. They started making sweet music together, and in 2024, David asked Shona to marry him during a romantic picnic in Kensington.

Speaking with OK! magazine about being popped the question, Shona revealed: “David took me to this beautiful Japanese garden because I love Japanese culture and the spirituality of it. He brought a picnic, which was really sweet. It was lovely, I was in my element but I didn’t think he was going to propose.”

The couple got as far as making plans for nuptials in Ireland, as she added: “We want to get married in Ireland because I have so much family there, as does David.”

ITV

However, it was reported by The Sun at the beginning of November that the pair had called it quits. A source told the newspaper: “They are on amicable terms, but have ended their romantic relationship. There are no hard feelings, they realised they wanted different things and are better off as friends. Shona is now focusing on her music and career.”

However, just before Shona entered the jungle, she referred to him still as her fiancé, saying “it will be the longest time my fiancé and I have been apart.”

When her campmates began speaking about engagements on tonight’s episode of I’m a Celebrity (27 November), Shona told Tom that she found the topic difficult, due to her personal circumstances. She revealed that she had just gone through a break-up with her fiancé before going into the jungle.

“I just couldn’t be part of that conversation,” Shona explained. “It’s too much.” Speaking to the camera in the Bush Telegraph later, she added: “When you’re not feeling great, to have Tom in camp is such a blessing.”

Who has Shona dated previously?

Back in 2011, Shona dated her EastEnders co-star Matt Lapinskas, who played Anthony Moon. They split after two years, and Matt started dating his Dancing On Ice partner Brianne Delcourt instead.

Shona’s next partner wasn’t from the world of entertainment, and was an electrician called Ryan Harris. They were together for six years in the end – and got engaged in 2018 – but later called it quits. She later told Fabulous magazine that the split “wasn’t a bad break-up, it was amicable.” She added: “We both came to the decision that, actually, this isn’t what we really want. It fizzled out and we weren’t the same people.”

BBC

In 2022, it was a return to an EastEnders romance, as Shona dated another soap co-star, Max Bowden, who played Ben Mitchell.

Unfortunately, it fizzled out and Shona said they were better as friends, telling The Sun: “It’s a friendship, we’re such in a good place. You take a risk, and you do something and it doesn’t work out, but that’s life, you’ve got to take that risk.”

I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here airs on ITV1 and ITVX.it wi