Over the years, there have been regular rumours of friendships blossoming into romance between Blue Peter presenters.
And now it can be revealed that cupid has struck again – as two of its current hosts have been secretly dating for a year.
Shini Muthukrishnan, 22, and Joel Mawhinney, 25, are said to have fallen for each other almost immediately after she joined the show in January last year and they are ‘practically living together’.
Sources say they have tried to keep their romance under wraps but their secret has recently been discovered by some of their colleagues.
One said: ‘Shini and Joel hit it off instantly and became great friends before anything romantic happened between them.
‘They keep their work and personal lives completely separate and are the consummate professionals on set. They’ve been very discreet but a lot of people working on the show know about their off-screen relationship.
‘Blue Peter has been sailing some choppy waters recently so it’s some really lovely, happy news for the show that they have created this wonderful love story.
‘Shini and Joel are young, talented and totally gorgeous together. So far, they’ve kept their relationship on the down-low but they could very much become the hot new couple on the celebrity circuit in the coming months, especially if Shini gets to do Strictly this year.
Shini Muthukrishnan (left), 22, and Joel Mawhinney (right), 25, are said to have fallen for each other almost immediately after she joined the show in January last year and now are ‘practically living together’
Sources say they have tried to keep their romance under wraps but their secret has recently been discovered by some of their colleagues
‘Casting bosses were really impressed with her last year but she didn’t quite fit into the mix. A decision on this year’s line-up is set to be made in the coming weeks.’
It comes just days after it emerged that former Blue Peter stars Helen Skelton, 41, and Gethin Jones, 47, have become close while hosting BBC One’s Morning Live.
Although Ms Skelton arrived three months after Jones left the children’s show, it is believed they bonded over their experience of working on the series.
Earlier this year, former host Peter Purves, 86, told of his romantic encounter with fellow presenter Valerie Singleton, while he was married.
Ms Singleton, 88, revealed in 2008 they had had a fling. Purves, who became part of the line-up from 1967 to 1978, said:
‘It was only one night. We remained great friends.’
There were also rumours that Yvette Fielding and co-star Mark Curry dated during their reign in the late 80s and early 90s – although he later came out as gay.
While host John Leslie, who was dramatically cleared of a sexual assault charge in 2020, was linked to his co-star Diane Louise-Jordan after she joined in 1990.
Social media users have spotted Ms Muthukrishnan and Mawhinney’s chemistry thanks to TikTok, where he has more than 15million followers.
Earlier this month, the pair were at a garden party at Buckingham Palace where they enjoyed a picnic. Ms Muthukrishnan posted a video as they rated the food on offer, with some fans comparing them to Emma and Dexter from the romcom One Day.
In March, bosses axed Blue Peter’s live shows, which had been a huge part of the programme’s popularity since it was first broadcast in 1958, and began pre-recording them. Former stars shared their memories of working on the show as bosses frantically tried to play down the move.
