I’m a big fan of survival shows. I love the drama, the shock factor, the entertainment. Survival shows inspired my latest novel Celebrity SOS: Love Survives, about a group of British celebrities in Alaska. Two of the group, Finn and Katerina, share a past and must find a way to survive not just blizzards and bear attacks but also being trapped for two weeks with each other and their painful memories.
You wouldn’t think that love could blossom on a survival show where contestants have no luxuries, are starving hungry, and can’t brush their teeth, but love can survive even in the harshest environments.
Let’s take a look at couples who found love on survival shows, real-life love stories which gave me the idea for Celebrity SOS:
I’m a Celebrity … – Peter Andre and Katie Price
The couple met in the jungle on I’m a Celebrity series 3, 2004. Their jungle love affair blossomed into a marriage, with two children, but sadly they divorced a few years later. Theirs wasn’t the only jungle romance, but none of the other couples have made it very far.
Other celebrities who hooked up in jungle include Marc Bannerman and Cerys Matthew, who dated for four months after meeting on the show in 2007. Joey Essex and Amy Willerton in 2013 had a relationship, but it fizzled out. In 2015, Ferne McCann and George Shelley, AND Vicky Pattinson and Spencer Matthews coupled up, but neither relationship lasted.
To date there have been no I’m a celebrity lasting couples!
Image: ITV/ Rex/ Shutterstock
The Island with Bear Grylls – Laura and Phil
The Island saw 16 contestants abandoned on an island in the Pacific. Nurse Laura Spence and Glazier Phil McCrae spent five weeks battling for survival and The Island turned into Love Island as their relationship began in spite of all the hardships.
Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls – Lucy and Ryan
TV star Lucy Mecklenburgh and soap actor Ryan Thomas got together on the island in 2017. The celebrities braved extreme weather and starvation, all of them losing dramatic amounts of weight. Lucy said at one point she was so weak that Ryan had to hold her up to go to the toilet and she weed on his foot! Despite all the discomfort, the couple had a clear connection – they’re now engaged and have a little boy.
Image: Channel 4
Survivor – Jenna Bowman and Sebastian Noel
Survivor has seen a number of couples get together, but not all of them have gone the distance. Jenna and Sebastian seem to be very much in love four years after they met on the Survivor: Ghost Island series, even though he actually led to her being voted out of the series! Apparently the two hit it off on the plane on the way to the island and now can be seen enjoying life together on Jenna’s Instagram account – @jennabowman.
Survivor: All stars – Amber and Rob
Amber Brkich and “Boston” Rob Mariano were on the Survivor All Stars season and were sitting next to each other at the final when… Rob proposed! Amber won the crown that season, but Rob won her heart. The two are now married with four children.
So love can happen in the strangest, harshest, most difficult places! If you’re a sucker for romance and fascinated by survival shows, you might like my latest novel, Celebrity SOS: Love Survives.
Buckley Books 