Chantelle Houghton has revealed that she was convinced there was a chance of rekindling her relationship with ex-husband Preston before he declared otherwise. The couple split in 2007 after meeting on Celebrity Big Brother but were reunited on the final series of the Channel 4 show and were recently seen at a restaurant together.
Houghton admitted that she was "devastated" when Preston subsequently announced on his blog that the couple are just friends, and insisted that she had no idea the statement was coming.
"When I left the house, all I wanted was closure," she told Heat magazine. "But when Preston saw how I was feeling in the house, it opened it up again and gave me hope we could get back together.
''He told me that he was in love with me and he still really fancied me, and I obviously got really upset. I'd text and say, 'I can't wait to see you,' and he'd say, 'Can't wait to see you too.' He also sent texts saying he loved me, which I have."
Houghton went on to say that Preston had told her of another woman that he had brought home since leaving the Ultimate Big Brother house.
She recalled: "I was like, 'Right,' and started crying. I was so upset, especially because I thought the fact that he was still with his girlfriend Abby was the biggest thing stopping us.
"So for him to say that he was sleeping with another girl was awful. Then, the next day, he texted me and said, 'By the way, I made that up. I wanted to make you jealous. I'm sorry. Oops.'"
Commenting on Preston's blog entry, in which he wrote that he was "privileged to call [Chantelle] a friend and nothing more", Houghton said that she was absolutely stunned by the post.
"I sobbed my heart out when I saw Preston's statement," she said. "I couldn't believe that he'd put that on there without telling me. I honestly thought that there was hope for us.
"I texted him, saying, 'I've just read your blog and I'm absolutely devastated,' and he was like, 'Oh no, sorry. Do you want me to take it down?' I was so upset."
She revealed that Preston went to France shortly after the incident, leaving her to face the fallout from his online announcement.
She added: "I just wanted him to be there for me. It's like now that the s**t's hit the fan, he's gone off."
