ACTOR Johnny ward has revealed he fell for his new girlfriend – after she fell for him.
The Love/Hate and Fair City star, who plays baddie Jafar in Aladdin at the National Stadium, was on the Curragh in Kildare when he saw a blonde girl trip over in the distance.
He told RSVP Live: “I checked to see if she was okay. We walked in the same direction afterwards and it was almost like the way panto characters would meet.
“We got chatting on Instagram a couple of days after and we did the walk again.”
It is Johnny’s first relationship following a brief romance with dancer Emily Barker after they were partnered on Dancing With The Stars.
His new girlfriend doesn’t work in television – she runs a salon in Dunlavin, Co Wicklow – but she knew who he was when they met.
He said: “She has nothing to do with media or acting, which is probably the first time that has happened to me.
“She and her family are big Fair City fans and they watched Dancing With The Stars and Love/Hate.”
The couple met during lockdown in February. Johnny said: “There was nothing to do in February. Her salon was closed. We started hiking together and we did things I would have normally done.”
Johnny and his widowed mum Maureen will spend Christmas Day with his new love this year.
He said: “It will be brilliant. It will be something different for us. Christmas can be very harsh on people who have lost loved ones and, for me, it has never been the same without my father.”
Johnny is back on stage alongside Alan Hughes, Emma Warren and Jake Carter for Aladdin.
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