Former Love Island heartthrob Michael Griffiths, 33, and EastEnders starlet Rukku Nahar, 29, have finally gone public with their romance. After months of whispers and speculation, the pair confirmed their relationship status on Instagram this week.
Conor Phillips and Megan Moore aren’t the only pair that Love Island sleuths have had their eye on, with Michael and Rukku being on the radar for months now. The couple, who were first spotted together on the red carpet last year, have now made it crystal clear they’re an item.
Michael took to his Instagram Stories to repost a snap of him planting a kiss on Rukku’s cheek, her smile lighting up the frame. The sweet photo was set to the soundtrack of Tems’ hit, Love Me JeJe. The lovebirds were enjoying a night out at the boxing, where they watched Oleksandr Usyk knock out Daniel Dubois to retain his heavyweight champion title.
Michael filled his Instagram feed with snaps of the two soaking up the atmosphere at Wembley Stadium. In one shot, the former Islander is seen pulling Rukku close as she beams at the camera.
He also shared a cute pic of them snapping selfies, and another of them posing arm in arm. Michael captioned the post: “Her first official fight night. And what a night it was, here’s to many more adventures,” reports the Mirror.
Fans and followers were quick off the mark to react to the relationship reveal. Among them was fellow Love Island alum Liam Reardon, who responded with a pair of flame emojis, while Josh Denzel chimed in with clapping hand emojis.
MAFS star Laura Jay Vaughan chimed in with: “I love you both so much.” She sweetened her message with a heart emoji and a smitten face.
The pair first sparked romance rumours at last year’s UK premiere of The Venom: The Last Dance. They seemed quite cosy, posing for snaps together, but stopped short of making their relationship official.
Back then, neither Rukku nor Michael had spilled the beans about dating each other, and they hadn’t popped up on each other’s social media feeds either. That said, eagle-eyed fans spotted him leaving cheeky comments under some of Rukku’s Instagram posts.
While Michael shot to fame on series five of ITV2’s hit dating show, Rukku is best known for her role as Habiba Ahmed in Walford.
Michael’s stint on the show was filled with drama, thanks to one of the most unforgettable love triangles in the series’ history.
He famously ditched Amber Gill for Joanna Chimonides, only for his relationship with Joanna to fizzle out a few months after leaving the villa.
