Former EastEnders actor Marc Bannerman is facing a difficult return to reality after becoming the first person to be evicted from I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here.

Bannerman flirted with fellow contestant Cerys Matthews during his stint on the ITV1 show but will now have to face his long-term girlfriend.

Actress Sarah Matravers was so concerned about her partner’s relationship with Catatonia singer Matthews that she flew to Australia, where the reality show is being filmed. Once there, however, she became so distressed at his flirting that she returned to the UK.

Last night presenters Ant and Dec delivered the results of the first public vote and told the contestants it was between former Apprentice star Katie Hopkins and Bannerman.

The group was shocked when they announced the EastEnders actor was the one getting the chop from the series, and he promptly grabbed Matthews and hugged her.

Other celebrities could be heard saying: "I thought he was going to win" as Bannerman whispered "don't worry" in Matthews's ear.

In an interview immediately after he left the camp, the actor guessed he was in "big trouble" and that he would need to apologise to his girlfriend, who he admitted he had embarrassed.

Bannerman, 34, said he had missed his family, friends and Matravers while he was in the jungle and stressed that nothing had happened with Matthews while he was on the show.

He said: "Nothing is going on, we just got on fantastically, we had a nice time together and we bonded really quickly, I think she is a fantastic girl."

He then asked Ant and Dec: "I'm in big trouble aren't I, what's happening?" before they showed him a clip of him and Matthews together in the camp.

Bannerman tried, but struggled, to explain what had happened between them.

He said: "It's a really difficult thing. It's a really strange scenario. If you meet someone that you really get on well with and gel with, it's really difficult not to have just a bit, a little bit, a kind of, you know it's just difficult not to have a little bit, you know..."

The actor admitted that he had connected with Matthews on a "very deep" level, which was something he had not expected.

All he had wanted from the show was to see if he could live with people "24/7", he said, adding "obviously it's not panned out right for me".

"I was surprised, I was shocked that I could have an intense relationship like that with Cerys and I really tried not to let it affect me but it's difficult when you're with someone all that time.

"Nothing happened between us at all but it's really difficult not to crave a little bit of love."

Bannerman admitted that he had struggled with his emotions in the camp and said he still was, before swearing.

Asked how he felt now, he added: "I'm terrified, I am going to have to apologise. I think I have embarrassed her and I've embarrassed myself and I'm going to have to live with that now."

When he was told his girlfriend had been in Australia but had now returned to the UK, he said he wanted to get back to London immediately so that they could talk face to face.

Matravers had earlier told producers that she could not watch the "man I love disrespecting me" and that she was returning to the UK after just 48 hours in Australia.

Her decision to fly back came after Matthews confessed to Bannerman that she had fallen for him.

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