Jay Gardner has ben embroiled in an identity 'mystery' on hit MTV show Catfish UK, after the Geordie Shore star struck up a relationship with some online, who wasn't who they claimed to be. And the investigation into who the person really was lead to a bombshell confession in Newcastle.
Given that he was one of the original cast members on Geordie Shore when it launched back in 2011 and his since returned to the programme for both its Big Birthday Battle and Reunion series, Tyneside lad Jay is no stranger to MTV, but his latest role for the channel saw him appear on camera in very different circumstances.
Having been a huge hit with audiences and across the world, Catfish made the switch to British soil a few years ago, as its presenters step in to help people found out the true identity of the individuals they've been talking to online. Jay got in touch with the show, having messaged a woman called 'Layla' a few years and ago become emotionally invested in their relationship.
Speaking to presenters Oobah Butler and Nella Rose, Jay admitted that he'd never met Layla, spoken to he on the phone or even had a voice note from her, but had spent a lot of time talking to her over the course of two and a half years.
READ MORE: Vera's Brenda Blethyn left 'heartbroken' by co-star's exit from ITV drama
His story then got more interesting when he explained that, he'd been tricked by someone else, a person who he believed to be Rhiannon from Leeds, with her even inviting him down to see her,. only to ghost him when he made the journey down from Newcastle.
Ooban and Nella headed up to Newcastle to try and get some answers for the Geordie Shore star, also contacting people who were on fan pages for Layla in the hope that they could track her down, while also establishing that Layla didn't exist, having discovered she was using photos from the profile of a Slovenian model.
The hosts received a message from someone asking to meet them and that person, Tiffany, was quick to own up to the fact that she was Layla and had set up the profile as a teenager due to her having low self esteem and being bullied in school. Now 25, Tiffany told Oobah and Nella she never expected to have established such a strong bond with Jay and there was no malice at all behind her actions.
'Layla's true identity was revealed to Jay during a meeting with Tiffany on the Quayside, with his initial reaction being one of shock and upset, as he asked her: "What was the reason behind doing it? Why did you do it?"
After Tiffany told him that she was 'intrigued' by him, Jay responded: "There's being intrigued, which, to me, would be like a message or two, but then there's messages after messages and then months lead onto another month. Where does the intrigue stop?"
And it was then that Tiffany owned up to something that took everyone by surprise she was also Rhiannon and was left 'annoyed', given Jay's close relationship with 'Layla' that he was also p[pursuing another girl.
Having got over that revelation and found out more about Tiffany's past,. things ended amicably between them, and at the very end of the episode, it was cionfirmed that she had shut down the Layla and Rhiannon accounts.
*Sign up to get the latest TV and showbiz news straight to your inbox with the Chronicle TV and celebs newsletter. If you can't see the form below, click HERE
READ NEXT:
*Vera boss praises 'legend' Brenda Blethyn as character causes stir
*Loose Women's Ruth Langsford 'exposes' Coleen Nolan for savage off-camera jibe
*ITV Vera viewers call out drama over 'impossible' Newcastle error in latest episode
*Riley Jones 'misses' Vera episode as fans urge him to stay safe
