KARA CRASH FOR KING JOE JUNGLE King Joe Swash’s champagne celebrations fell flat last night over fears for his romance with EastEnders babe Kara Tointon.
Their secret relationship was exposed while he took part in the hit reality TV show.
And now Joe could be heading for a rumble with his close pal James Alexandrou – who used to date Kara and is said to be pretty shaken by the revelations.
The pair were inseparable when they also starred in the Beeb soap.
But now Joe fears that his triumphant homecoming will be overshadowed by the messy way news of his love life emerged.
And that could also put paid to the romance with Kara, 25, his on-screen sister Dawn Swann.
A close pal of 26-year-old Joe told the Daily Star Sunday: “He and Kara were close friends from when she joined EastEnders.
“When she started going out with James they would often all go out together in a group.
“James never had any problem with their closeness and put it down to the fact that they played a brother and sister in the show.
“Despite their split, Kara and James remained friends so she didn’t want her romance with Joe coming out until she was sure where it was going.
“So the fact that it’s all come out so publicly without her say-so has not done her relationship with Joe any favours.”
The friend went on: “Because Joe and Kara have been friends for so long no one took any notice of them out together, including James.
“And, when their friendship blossomed into something more, they were able to keep it a secret.
“Everything was going so well for them. Now Kara has been stressing about it all and really doesn’t know what to do for the best.
“She’s looking forward to seeing Joe when he returns but realises that they’ve got a few things to sort out.
“Her relationship with James was very public and she wanted to avoid going down the same road with Joe. But now that he’s won I’m A Celeb it’s going to be incredibly hard for him to stay out of the limelight.
“She has two choices. Either she goes with it or she cools things off for a while.”
Showbiz insiders reckon Joe could make £1million after winning the show, beating off fierce competition from tennis champ Martina Navratilova and Star Trek actor George Takei.
But last night he revealed he nearly didn’t make the final day…
He said: “I couldn’t sleep the night before and kept getting up to go to the toilet. I took a kerosene lamp with me.
“After a while I realised the fumes from the kerosene were affecting me and making me whoozy and unsteady.
“I had to stagger out and take gulps of fresh air. I nearly topped myself in the jungle!
“The thing I want to do most now is to sit on a proper toilet and pull the chain.”
George, 71, Joe’s new best friend, is convinced the soap star could win an Oscar one day and is determined to help his career.
After coming third in the contest after Martina, he said: “I am going to introduce him to my agent in Hollywood.
“And I am going to try to get him a part in Heroes.”
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