Actor Kevin McHale says he bonded so well with Vinnie Jones on The X Factor : Celebrity the footie hard man is now like family.
And Glee star Kevin, 31, praised “national treasure” Vinnie, 54, for offering to step down to let him go through on Saturday’s show.
Kevin said: “He’s a good dude. I think he showed that.
“Vinnie is terrifying but he’s also the sweetest guy. Earlier in the day, he was asking about my boyfriend and whether we wanted kids – he’s the loveliest dude.
“He’s like a pitbull where people are intimidated by the size, but he’s really sweet.”
Their bond is so strong Vinnie has even made it into Kevin’s family album.
Kevin said: “It’s really funny. In my family pictures there’s me and Vinnie.”
On Saturday’s show, after Vinnie had performed Galway Shawl in memory of wife Tanya, who died in July, he told the judges to send him home as he had achieved all he had wanted to do.
But after Simon Cowell refused, telling him he could go on to win the series, Vinnie and Kevin went to their dressing rooms for a drink together.
Kevin said: “He was at a loss because the whole point of him doing the show was that he wanted to do that song.
“He said he felt like he’d completed the journey.
“We were both at peace with where we ended up. It wasn’t overly emotional.
“We were both like, ‘We did a great job’.”
