Gaffney defends Bannerman's flirting

Dean Gaffney has defended his friend Marc Bannerman's flirty behaviour on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.

Marc became the first celebrity to be voted off the show yesterday after he got close with fellow campmate Cerys Matthews, even though he lives with his long-term girlfriend in London.

Gaffney, who appeared on the reality show last year, insisted that Marc is a very "tactile" person and that he was in love with girlfriend Sarah Matravers.

The former EastEnders star told GMTV: "I'm the first to say that Marc was silly to flirt with Cerys in front of 10 million viewers and his partner, but the thing we all love about Marc is that he's very tactile.

"He was kissing Rodney Marsh on the lips two days ago - that's just Marc."

When asked about Marc's girlfriend, Gaffney said: "She's obviously been humiliated, she feels, in front of family and friends and the general public.

"I've been fortunate to be out with Sarah and Marc at a function together and they're very much in love. They are very touchy-feely and very close.

"So I think it's just being in the jungle, it's a mad experience and you can't explain it unless you've been there."

Gaffney also revealed that he had convinced Bannerman to appear on the reality show in the first place, saying: "Marc rang me up and said, 'Do you think I should do it?', and I said, 'It's not even an issue, Marc, you have to do it. You're out of work, haven't really been on telly much since EastEnders. It'll keep the wolf from the door."