Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton spent their first night as an official couple in a £35 room at a budget hotel - after she pleaded with fans to listen to "both sides of the story" in the wake of her ex's comments.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2018 winners holed themselves up in a Premier Inn on Thursday night after Stacey rushed 5,300 miles home from Mexico to be with her new beau.
Their romance went Instagram official on Friday when Stacey Dooley shares first 'loved up' pic with Strictly boyfriend Kevin Clifton cosying up together - Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton's 'awkward' first pic 'lacks sexuality and closeness' and lack of eye contact was picked up by fans.
Stacey Dooley shares first 'loved up' pic with Strictly boyfriend Kevin Clifton
And now it seems she's happy for them to be known as a couple two weeks after her ex-boyfriend Sam Tucknott slammed her for starting up an illicit romance as their relationship was coming to an end.
Stacey disappeared off to America as the news broke, filming for her new documentary on bounty hunters, while Kevin was forced to bear the brunt of the criticism alone while launching his Burn The Floor UK tour.
And it was on the Peterborough stop of his tour that Stacey joined Kevin for their secret rendezvous in the nearby budget hotel.
Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton's 'awkward' first pic 'lacks sexuality and closeness'
She was spotted leaving the Premier Inn with a big beam on her face early on Friday morning - still wearing the same outfit as the one in her Instagram snap the night before.
The flame-haired documentary-maker grinned as she wheeled her suitcase out to an awaiting Addison Lee taxi, covering her eyes with sunglasses in the early-morning light.
A little later, a dishevelled-looking Kevin emerged from the same hotel and nonchalantly munched on a sandwich as he chatted to a friend.
Stacey Dooley joins big-star line-up to cover for Alex Jones on The One Show
While they've only just gone official, it seems Stacey and Kevin are wasting no time in taking their romance to the next level, with reports claiming they're even considering moving in together.
It comes just a few weeks after Stacey dumped live-in boyfriend Sam, who angrily accused her of overlapping her relationships - which Stacey has denied.
In the weeks before their split, Stacey said in an interview that Sam was "useless" and "messy" as she moaned about the state of their flat.
Kevin, meanwhile, has been married three times and is in the process of divorcing fellow Strictly professional Karen Clifton.
