JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes, who both appeared together on Celebrity Big Brother, have opened up about their relationship with one another in an appearance on ITV’s This Morning.
The pair sparked discussion on the show for their very close bond, with some deeming it ‘uncomfortable’.
This issue became an even hotter topic after it was revealed that Siwa had broken up with her partner Kath Ebbs at the CBB after party.
Speaking on This Morning about whether their relationship was romantic, Siwa said: “Look, he's a great guy. It's platonic. We have a lot of fun together. I don't know the future, whatever life does, it will do.” Hughes also said him and the 21-year-old social media star had a ‘soulmate friendship.'
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With Hughes and Siwa having at various points held hands and shown affection that could be mistaken as romantic, it may lead some to question their understanding of the term ‘platonic’.
What is a platonic relationship?
A relationship expert, writing for Verywell Mind, spoke about the differences between a platonic and romantic relationship.
Kendra Cherry, a psychology author, educator, and journalist, said: “While both types of relationships often involve having a deep friendship and sometimes even love, people in a romantic relationship are typically physically intimate whereas there is no sex or physical intimacy in a platonic relationship.”
Whilst asexual people can be in romantic relationships and platonic friendships can sometimes involve physical intimacy, this is usually the delineating line between romantic and platonic.
When discussing important boundaries for a platonic relationship, Cherry pointed to gossiping about partners, physical contact beyond casual intimacy, and not ditching your partner to spend time with your platonic friend to keep that in place.
She went on to add: “Platonic relationships are not always easy to find.
“When you do establish a strong platonic bond, it is important to continue to nurture and strengthen that connection.”
What have JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes said about their ‘platonic relationship’?
The pair spoke about their close bond on This Morning, with Hughes saying: “Our friendship is, it's hard to explain. It's just a really strong bond. A strong friendship.
“You can have a soul mate friendship. I think that's a thing."
Siwa was evasive when answering whether her close friendship with Hughes had influenced her breakup with Ebbs, who stated that they were ‘hurt’ by what they saw on Celebrity Big Brother.
The 21-year-old influencer did, however, confirm that the break-up between the two took place at the after-party for the ITV reality show.
She said that there were certain things in her life, including her relationship, that she ‘never should have been okay with.'
Siwa claimed Ebbs had not been planning to come to the wrap party, but that an hour in, they arrived.
She went on to say: “One thing led to another, they asked if I was happy and I said no. The conversation took place there."
Topics: JoJo Siwa, Celebrity Big Brother, This Morning, TV, TV and Film, Celebrity
Michael Slavin