Joey Essex’s ex-girlfriend Lorena Medina has claimed they have been exchanging ‘romantic’ messages after Vanessa Bauer shut down rumours of a romance with him.
The Dancing On Ice star’s model ex Lorena, 30, said they are still in touch and claimed Joey told her that he ‘always’ thinks about her.
It comes after his professional dance partner Vanessa, 26, shut down any rumours of a romance between herself and the TOWIE star, 32.
Flirty? Joey Essex’s ex-girlfriend Lorena Medina has claimed they have been exchanging ‘romantic’ messages after Vanessa Bauer shut down rumours of a romance with him
Now, Lorena has claimed Joey told her that he hasn’t had a ‘connection’ with anyone since their romance, but geography has proved to be a hurdle for them.
She told The Sun: ‘We have been speaking a bit romantically, Joey told me he always thinks about me.
‘He said that he hasn’t been able to find that connection with anyone since me and I said, “Me too. I haven’t found it yet either”, and Joey said, “Well, if you come to London I’ll come to see you”.
‘We both know the attraction is there – the constant love is still there – but I am in different countries working on my singing career and he is in England.’
Romantic: The Dancing On Ice star’s model ex Lorena (pictured in January 2020), 30, said they are still in touch and claimed that Joey told her that he ‘always’ thinks about her
Joey and Lorena enjoyed a whirlwind romance for a few months in 2020 before she broke up with him after he had a 24-hour partying session with Rita Ora and his pals.
Lorena said they hadn’t spoken until seven months ago, when she rang him during a boozy night out in Columbia, and that they have been in touch since.
MailOnline has contacted Joey’s representatives for comment.
It comes after both Vanessa and Joey have played down rumours of a romance blossoming between them as they compete on Dancing On Ice together.
Exes: Lorena claimed Joey told her that he hasn’t had a ‘connection’ with anyone since their romance, but geography has proved to be a hurdle for them
Appearing on Good Morning Britain earlier this week, he said: ‘I’m single, Vanessa’s single. We go to the ice every day, it’s cold, do you know what I mean?
‘We’ve got to keep each other warm! But yeah, it’s all good.’
Meanwhile, Vanessa admitted that they are ‘having a lot of fun’ but shut down any rumours of a romance between herself and Joey.
Despite putting on a close display on social media and being subject to a wave of romance rumours over the last few months, she confirmed that they are simply ‘just skating partners’.
Denial: It comes after his professional dance partner Vanessa, 26, shut down any rumours of a romance between herself and the TOWIE star, 32
Speaking to The Sun at Elf The Musical’s press night in London, Vanessa was asked whether there was any truth to rumours of a blossoming relationship between her and Joey.
‘We are just skating partners,’ she firmly said, while responding the same to any chance of romance in the future.
Vanessa’s comments came following reports that she and Joey have been growing close and are reportedly ‘super flirty’.
The rumours began to swirl after Joey was spotted sharing a kiss with Love Island’s Maura Higgins during this year’s National Television Awards.
Rumours: Vanessa admitted that they are ‘having a lot of fun’ but shut down any rumours of a romance between herself and Joey
A source told The Sun: ‘Joey and Vanessa have grown close incredibly quickly.
‘Right now they have managed to keep everything professional but it’s safe to say they are both super flirty.
‘They are going to spend a lot of time together over the next few months due to rehearsals so it’s easy to see how romance could blossom.’
Elsewhere, Joey and his ex-girlfriend Lorena parted ways back in 2020 after a whirlwind romance which saw them move in together.
Growing close: Vanessa’s comments came following reports that she and Joey have been growing close and are reportedly ‘super flirty’
At the time of their break-up, Lorena said they had fallen out after Joey headed to an afterparty at Rita’s home in Holland Park.
The model said despite there being no indication that Joey had cheated on her, Joey’s late night was the final straw in their crumbling relationship.
She said: ‘I knew Joey had spent the night out because I had talked to him when he was in the cab on the way back to Essex.
‘He told me, “I had a crazy night and I stayed at my friend’s” and that was fine. But he didn’t tell me it was a girl and he didn’t mention Rita Ora. I told Joey, “This s*** can’t happen. Are you crazy?”‘
Lorena said she then told Joey she could no longer trust him and the pair decided to go their separate ways.
The model and Joey first got together while filming MTV’s Ex On The Beach in Spain last summer.
And the couple quickly became inseparable after Lorena, who is originally from Mexico, moved into his home in Chigwell, Essex, just a few months later.
Lorena said the wild party was the final straw after a raft of other arguments over jealousy and insecurity.
Split: Joey and Lorena enjoyed a whirlwind romance for a few months in 2020 before she broke up with him after he had a 24-hour partying session with Rita Ora and his pals
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