Joe Gilgun has become something of a heartthrob since taking on the role of unlucky in love Vinnie O'Neil in Brassic. And with fans about to tune in for the show's sixth series, they'll no doubt be rooting for Vinnie and Erin (Michelle Keegan) to finally get their happy ending as they nevaigate the next phase of their relationship.
As the duo's will-they-won't-they storyline continues to grip viewers, fans might also be wondering about Joe's real-life relationship status away from the show. So, what do we know about the actor's dating history? Keep reading for all the details…
Relationship status
Joe appears to be single, but he's spoken about being open to love. In a 2020 interview with The Sun, the TV star revealed that he's signed up with a dating app. "I don't have a girlfriend – I don't get many matches on Tinder, it's full of lying sociopaths – I'm like a bit of a loser who feeds the pigeons," he joked.
Joe also made remarks about his relationship status in 2019, explaining that he'd discussed it with his therapist in a session. "I had a bit of a breakthrough. She was saying, 'Why don't you have a girlfriend? Why don't you have a house? You've got all this money. Do something with it,'" he told The Guardian.
"But the other aspect is, once I've got a girl that I know I can love and she loves me, that's when I'll do it. I'll get a house and I'll learn to drive and I'll become a normal human being, get a golden retriever and a [expletive] dishwasher and all that. I'll give it everything I have. I've never really had that love, being in love like that."
During the interview, Joe explained that his busy work schedule and his bipolar disorder can make relationships more difficult to navigate. "I can't meet anyone. I'm nice, as well!" he said. "But it's difficult. No one's in the market for a bipolar squatter who lives in the [expletive] woods, do you know what I mean?"
Ex-girlfriends
The actor's last known romance was with his former co-star, Vicky McClure, whom he met on the set of This is England. While little is known about their relationship timelines, Joe has said that the pair are still good friends, despite their decision to split.
"Our friendship's stronger [because of our previous relationship]," he remarked to The Independent in 2015. "I can go to Vick about anything and know she'll always understand me."
The Line of Duty star returned Joe's compliment, calling the actor "caring, funny, honest, salt of the earth guy".
Opening up about a different girlfriend to VICE, Joe said: "So I was 23 and my hair was falling out and I was deeply in love with this girl. We split up, and I feel like we've split up for noble reasons and I think… I dunno what. I think I was confused man, and bald and fed up and my [expletive] head all of a sudden – even though it was going really [expletive] well and I had everything I wanted – my head went. And so it was my fault. I thought I was being a crusader and I wondered what it was like on the other side of the field a little bit."