Hollyoaks star Nikki Sanderson appears to have defended her co-star as he appears in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. The actress, who is known for playing Maxine Minniver in the Channel 4 soap, appeared on ITV's Lorraine to chat about her latest storyline on Thursday (November 10).
Nikki is currently being applauded for her latest work as her character was subject to a violent attack while walking home after a night out. Hollyoaks' latest storyline is highlighting the issue of women’s safety. In the initial episode aired earlier this week, viewers saw Maxine separated from her friends while out at a club.
As she ended up leaving alone, Maxine's experience was paralleled to that of a man's experience, showing Romeo Nightingale, played by Owen, making his way out of a venue in a jovial manner, speaking to the security guards before heading home. The incredibly emotive and important scenes featuring Nikki and Owen have aired while the latter takes part in I'm A Celeb.
While speaking to Lorraine Kelly on her self-titled show, the host asked Nikki, who is also known for starring in Coronation Street as Candice Stowe, about Owen after he got I'm A Celeb viewers talking during his debut after failing to know who the likes of Boy George were before coming out with some hilarious one-liners.
"Bless him, he's such a lovely lad and he's genuinely coming across exactly how he is in real life," Nikki, 38, said. "He's wonderful to work with and he's just a lovely guy and I'm thinking you're getting to see that and his personality with some of the gaffes he's said."
She added: "He's definitely like that in real lfie as well. He's not putting that on in any way. He's a really good lad and we're all behind him. Like you say, Hollyoaks is a team, we all get on really well and we support each other. We do think Owen's going to do really well in this."
Nikki's support of Owen comes after he appeared to upset some I'm A Celeb viewers following Matt Hancock's entrance into camp. The former health secretary made his much-anticipated jungle debut during Wednesday night's show alongside fellow latecomer Seann Walsh.
Matt, 44, and comedian Seann, 36, entered a separate camp where they headed to 'Mole HQ' which revealed they would have a secret challenge to complete when they headed into the main camp - after completing their first bushtucker trial, Beastly Burrows.
Matt's arrival in the camp caused shock among the campmates and evidently ruffled feathers. When asked how he felt, comedian and actor Babatunde Aleshe told Owen: "I'm finding it hard to put my feelings to one side." He added: "We have got to be welcoming and treat people as humans obviously."
To which Owen said: "I don't fully understand the mistakes he [Matt] has made to be honest. I don't follow politics." He then laughed: "But yeah I'm up for just judging him in here." And it was this comment that didn't impress viewers.
@lauragabell fumed: "The fact that Owen doesn’t understand what Matt Hancock’s supposedly done. That’s half the f***ing problem. People don’t care enough to understand why it’s such an outrage he’s there." @bangswifties shared: "Does not shock me at all that Owen doesn’t know what Matt has done wrong.. #imaceleb."
@mikepriestley13 asked: "Owen about Matt hancock 'I don’t understand the mistakes he’s done' Has Owen had his eyes closed for the last 2 and half years or is he having his Joey Essex moment? #ImACeleb." @rogernook added: "How is Owen so unaware of what Matt Hancock did? You don't need to follow politics it was all over the news #ImACeleb."
Others, however, had already predicted Owen wouldn't have known who Matt is following his blunder with Scarlette Douglas during their first meeting.
Nikki's support comes after Owen's on-screen mum has appeared to share what the soap star is really like. Former Corrie star Lucy-Jo Hudson, who stars as Romeo’s mum Donna-Marie in Hollyoaks, said her co-star has "no common sense" but is expecting him to do well in the show.
She told her followers: “Well I expected nothing less…. my on screen son @_owenwarner…. Absolutely smashed it tonight in @imacelebrity. He’s already coming across exactly how I thought, his lovely, genuine self!
"Who is an absolute sweetheart, and an old school gent… he’s also got no common sense whatsoever…. which you will have seen tonight and I know he won’t mind me saying that, because he laughs at himself!
“His one liners will have you in stitches! You will all love him." Lucy continued: “I’m so excited to watch your journey on this mega show! I know you’re gonna smash It. Let’s all get behind him... Good Luck Owen, continue to be yourself and everyone will just fall in love with you…. proud of you, your mama xxx."
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