Chantelle Houghton, the 2006 winner of Celebrity Big Brother, is reportedly in a new relationship with Westley O'Bryan, a garden centre worker. Houghton, 42, recently shared on the "We Need To Talk" podcast that she had found a new love and was "in love with that man with my whole being."
Photographs published this week show Houghton and O'Bryan, 45, appearing affectionate while waiting for a train in Essex. An onlooker described the couple as looking "very, very happy together" and "very touchy-feely."
O'Bryan works at Hunters Chase Garden Centre in Brentwood, Essex, near Houghton's home. She lives with her 14-year-old daughter, Dolly, from her previous relationship with Alex Reid.
Sources close to Houghton have expressed hope that this relationship will bring her happiness, noting her past struggles with high-profile partners. "She has had an awful time of it. She seems to really like Westley, he might not be famous but he is kind to her," a friend commented. "Chantelle has learned the hard way that being with a celebrity isn't always the best idea for a happy relationship."
Houghton's romantic history includes a highly publicized marriage to singer Samuel Preston, whom she met on Celebrity Big Brother. They announced their engagement in April 2006 and married four months later, but divorced in 2007. Houghton later revealed that Preston had expressed doubts about their marriage shortly after they wed.
Following her marriage to Preston, Houghton dated Rav Wilding, a former police officer and Crimewatch presenter. Their relationship ended in 2011 after they were reportedly seen arguing in public.
She then became engaged to Alex Reid, a former cage fighter, with whom she had her daughter. However, the couple separated when their daughter was 11 weeks old. Sources indicate that Houghton and Reid currently have a strained relationship.
On Tuesday, Houghton stated on the podcast that she had not dated anyone for many years before meeting her current partner, expressing a strong sense of knowing he was the right person from their first meeting.