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VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL
Thursday 14th February
This Valentine's Day we caught up with HOLLYOAKS' hottest off-screen couple, Carley Stenson (Steph) and Ricky Whittle (Calvin) to hear about how they spend their time together...
Thursday 14th February
This Valentine's Day we caught up with HOLLYOAKS' hottest off-screen couple, Carley Stenson (Steph) and Ricky Whittle (Calvin) to hear about how they spend their time together...
KEEPING IT SECRET
How long have you both been going out?
Ricky: Officially, not as long as we have done!
Carley: It would be two years in August but that's unofficially, that's when we started dating.
When did you come out publicly about your relationship?
Carley: A year ago in January, we were just getting to know each other until that point.
Ricky: Yeah the thing is, in this business people have a lot of relationships and everyone judges you and kind of ruins it before it even begins. We wanted to get to know each other and get settled with things before we let others, and the whole world in.
Where did you go for your first date?
Carley: On our real first date we went out and got very, very drunk! Where did we go on our official first date Ricky?
Ricky: I don’t know.
Carley: We went to our favourite Chinese!
Ricky: Oh yeah we did, and we pretended that we had just met and that we had secret identities, I was a window cleaner…
Carley: And I was a German translator or something. We wanted an official first date after the first one we had and couldn't remember much of.
Ricky: We wanted a proper first date where we could get to know each other properly.
Carley: He sent me a really lovely text message the next day too!
How long have you both been going out?
Ricky: Officially, not as long as we have done!
Carley: It would be two years in August but that's unofficially, that's when we started dating.
When did you come out publicly about your relationship?
Carley: A year ago in January, we were just getting to know each other until that point.
Ricky: Yeah the thing is, in this business people have a lot of relationships and everyone judges you and kind of ruins it before it even begins. We wanted to get to know each other and get settled with things before we let others, and the whole world in.
Where did you go for your first date?
Carley: On our real first date we went out and got very, very drunk! Where did we go on our official first date Ricky?
Ricky: I don’t know.
Carley: We went to our favourite Chinese!
Ricky: Oh yeah we did, and we pretended that we had just met and that we had secret identities, I was a window cleaner…
Carley: And I was a German translator or something. We wanted an official first date after the first one we had and couldn't remember much of.
Ricky: We wanted a proper first date where we could get to know each other properly.
Carley: He sent me a really lovely text message the next day too!
KISSING OTHER PEOPLE
What is it like working together?
Together: We don’t!
Ricky: Yeah we don't really work together at all which is the good thing about it. We live together, go out together, and have the same circle of friends so it means I get a good break from her when I'm at work, she does my head in! No I’m only joking. If we worked together too it might possibly be too much as we'd be living in each others pockets. In two years we've only had four scenes together and two of them have been cut out.
Carley: Yeah or they filmed my bit when you were in the green room and then we swapped around, so we still weren't on set together then either.
So what is it like having to watch each other kiss other people?
Carley: I can't watch him on screen unless he's with me, it's really weird. I don't feel jealous I just like him here, it's a subconscious thing. I can't watch it without him and then if he's here I'm pinned to the screen. Even with Dream Team I can't watch it without him being there.
Ricky: It's not the nicest thing to see in the world but the more awkward I feel the better she is at doing her job because it’s more believable, and it shows that she's a great actor. Sometimes I will recognise a face that she makes when she’s making it at Max which is a bit weird. As actors you use your own mannerisms and stuff so when watching I’ll be thinking "you give me that little wrinkle!"
Carley: Oh yeah, Ricky saw something on TV once and taped it and I got home he showed me saying I make that face for him too.
Ricky: I know I couldn't believe it, I was thinking "She gives me that look!"
Carley: Yeah it is odd as you do use your own mannerisms and faces.
What are you doing this Valentine's day?
Ricky:Carley is filming so I have the whole day to plan, but obviously I can't tell you because she's here. I'll be planning something very special with a wonderful present, which I've actually had since Christmas might I add. We won't be going out, it will all be at home but it will be very special.
Carley: I can't wait; he’s always good at stuff like, that he's very romantic.
What is it like working together?
Together: We don’t!
Ricky: Yeah we don't really work together at all which is the good thing about it. We live together, go out together, and have the same circle of friends so it means I get a good break from her when I'm at work, she does my head in! No I’m only joking. If we worked together too it might possibly be too much as we'd be living in each others pockets. In two years we've only had four scenes together and two of them have been cut out.
Carley: Yeah or they filmed my bit when you were in the green room and then we swapped around, so we still weren't on set together then either.
So what is it like having to watch each other kiss other people?
Carley: I can't watch him on screen unless he's with me, it's really weird. I don't feel jealous I just like him here, it's a subconscious thing. I can't watch it without him and then if he's here I'm pinned to the screen. Even with Dream Team I can't watch it without him being there.
Ricky: It's not the nicest thing to see in the world but the more awkward I feel the better she is at doing her job because it’s more believable, and it shows that she's a great actor. Sometimes I will recognise a face that she makes when she’s making it at Max which is a bit weird. As actors you use your own mannerisms and stuff so when watching I’ll be thinking "you give me that little wrinkle!"
Carley: Oh yeah, Ricky saw something on TV once and taped it and I got home he showed me saying I make that face for him too.
Ricky: I know I couldn't believe it, I was thinking "She gives me that look!"
Carley: Yeah it is odd as you do use your own mannerisms and faces.
What are you doing this Valentine's day?
Ricky:Carley is filming so I have the whole day to plan, but obviously I can't tell you because she's here. I'll be planning something very special with a wonderful present, which I've actually had since Christmas might I add. We won't be going out, it will all be at home but it will be very special.
Carley: I can't wait; he’s always good at stuff like, that he's very romantic.
OLD ROMANTIC
Carley, what is the most romantic thing Ricky has done for you?
Carley: He has done a lot. But the one that blew me away was a treasure hunt around where I live and we had to go to all of our favourite places…
Ricky:… Like where we had our first date or the little café that we always go to when we have hangovers.
Carley: Places that are special to us. I had to go in to each and I was given a rose but only if I showed pictures of myself.
Ricky: Yeah she had to show her cast card in each place.
Carley: My mum was in on it too, and when I got to the house she had a bag packed for me and we went down to London to see a show and stayed at a really posh hotel.
Ricky: Yeah Prince Harry's favourite hotel it's really posh.
Carley: Then we went to Old Trafford to see Manchester United play on the way back. I was really pleased because the whole thing had been about me so I was glad for Ricky to have something that he loves.
Ricky: We sat in a box so it was bit more special.
What would be your ideal day together?
Ricky: A day in bed watching CSI, or Smallville ,or some box-set. Then we'd have some nice brunch.
Carley: Yeah something that we already have in the kitchen so we don’t even have to leave the house.
Ricky: Then do something through the day maybe.
Carley: Although we do like staying in our pyjamas, we went to Spain and stayed in for the whole day in our pyjamas.
Ricky: Yeah it was raining and we stayed in watching TV all day, it was really nice just relaxing and having nothing to do all day. Then we went out in the evening for a meal.
Carley: Yeah or we like doing something silly and fun…
Ricky:…Like tonight we are going to do the Wii-olympics and spend the whole night, one-on-one because I just bought a Wii this weekend.
Will the competition cause a fall out?
Ricky: Oh Carley is so competitive! She is just like Monica from Friends.
Carley: (Laughs) I'm not, it's just because you always cheat!
Carley, what is the most romantic thing Ricky has done for you?
Carley: He has done a lot. But the one that blew me away was a treasure hunt around where I live and we had to go to all of our favourite places…
Ricky:… Like where we had our first date or the little café that we always go to when we have hangovers.
Carley: Places that are special to us. I had to go in to each and I was given a rose but only if I showed pictures of myself.
Ricky: Yeah she had to show her cast card in each place.
Carley: My mum was in on it too, and when I got to the house she had a bag packed for me and we went down to London to see a show and stayed at a really posh hotel.
Ricky: Yeah Prince Harry's favourite hotel it's really posh.
Carley: Then we went to Old Trafford to see Manchester United play on the way back. I was really pleased because the whole thing had been about me so I was glad for Ricky to have something that he loves.
Ricky: We sat in a box so it was bit more special.
What would be your ideal day together?
Ricky: A day in bed watching CSI, or Smallville ,or some box-set. Then we'd have some nice brunch.
Carley: Yeah something that we already have in the kitchen so we don’t even have to leave the house.
Ricky: Then do something through the day maybe.
Carley: Although we do like staying in our pyjamas, we went to Spain and stayed in for the whole day in our pyjamas.
Ricky: Yeah it was raining and we stayed in watching TV all day, it was really nice just relaxing and having nothing to do all day. Then we went out in the evening for a meal.
Carley: Yeah or we like doing something silly and fun…
Ricky:…Like tonight we are going to do the Wii-olympics and spend the whole night, one-on-one because I just bought a Wii this weekend.
Will the competition cause a fall out?
Ricky: Oh Carley is so competitive! She is just like Monica from Friends.
Carley: (Laughs) I'm not, it's just because you always cheat!
ATTRACTION
Ricky, What do you like best about Carley, what was it that first attracted you to her?
Ricky: Two things, her eyes, she has beautiful eye, but it's her banter, she has great banter. I can't believe I said that. (Carley cheers). The first time I came to HOLLYOAKS I was in make-up and Carley was having her breast bitten by Guy Burnet…
Carley: It wasn't a real boob! It was a gel one, like a Madonna boob.
Ricky: I just thought, now there's a girl who likes a laugh and looks like good fun.
Carley: We'll have to thank Guy for getting us together.
Ricky: Then the more we talked, the more I realised she is a great laugh and she’s really kind and sensitive too. She does everything for everyone before herself. Sometimes I have to pull her on it and tell her to take time for herself and to stop putting everyone else first all the time.
Carley, What do you like best about Ricky, what was it that first attracted you to her?
Carley: Alcohol, he got me drunk on our first date! No I’m just joking! Well the first time I saw him was in Dream Team and that was the day before I first met him on HOLLYOAKS, I didn't even know he was coming on the show. When I saw him it made me put my book down, I just thought wow he’s a stunner. But he's such a beautiful person too, you’d think there was a catch but there really isn't.
I think he just makes everyone feel so special, he remembers personal things about the people he meets and really makes an effort to make them feel comfortable and important.
Check out Ask The Cast tomorrow to see the couples quiz that Carley and Ricky took. Do do you think will know the most? Don't miss this Valentine's couples quiz.
Ricky, What do you like best about Carley, what was it that first attracted you to her?
Ricky: Two things, her eyes, she has beautiful eye, but it's her banter, she has great banter. I can't believe I said that. (Carley cheers). The first time I came to HOLLYOAKS I was in make-up and Carley was having her breast bitten by Guy Burnet…
Carley: It wasn't a real boob! It was a gel one, like a Madonna boob.
Ricky: I just thought, now there's a girl who likes a laugh and looks like good fun.
Carley: We'll have to thank Guy for getting us together.
Ricky: Then the more we talked, the more I realised she is a great laugh and she’s really kind and sensitive too. She does everything for everyone before herself. Sometimes I have to pull her on it and tell her to take time for herself and to stop putting everyone else first all the time.
Carley, What do you like best about Ricky, what was it that first attracted you to her?
Carley: Alcohol, he got me drunk on our first date! No I’m just joking! Well the first time I saw him was in Dream Team and that was the day before I first met him on HOLLYOAKS, I didn't even know he was coming on the show. When I saw him it made me put my book down, I just thought wow he’s a stunner. But he's such a beautiful person too, you’d think there was a catch but there really isn't.
I think he just makes everyone feel so special, he remembers personal things about the people he meets and really makes an effort to make them feel comfortable and important.
Check out Ask The Cast tomorrow to see the couples quiz that Carley and Ricky took. Do do you think will know the most? Don't miss this Valentine's couples quiz.
