A SOUTHEND man was left “overwhelmed” when his former stepsister declared her “crush” on him... on national TV.

Callum Roberts appeared on the most recent episode of ITV2’s Secret Crush, where his former stepsister declared her feelings for him.

The 19-year-old had lived with Maddie Thompson when they were children, and their parents were engaged.

However, the relationship ended and they went their separate ways nine years ago when they were both nine years old.

The pair had kept in touch on social media but had not seen each other since.

Revelation - Mr Roberts and Miss Thompson meeting on the show. Pic: ITV

Revelation - Mr Roberts and Miss Thompson meeting on the show. Pic: ITV

Mr Roberts, who works as a stonemason in Southend, said: “It was pretty awkward. The whole experience from start to finish was a bit overwhelming, being called to go on TV saying someone’s got a crush on you.

“At first I thought it was a scam, I said I didn’t believe them at all and they were trying to get my bank details.”

The show sees people invited to appear and meet the person who has “a secret crush”.

Stunned - Mr Roberts after seeing Miss Thompson as his secret admirer. Pic: ITV

Stunned - Mr Roberts after seeing Miss Thompson as his secret admirer. Pic: ITV

At the beginning of the show, Miss Thompson said: “I’m here to tell my brother that I fancy him. Just to be clear, we are not related – my mum and his dad were together many years ago.

“But since we got back in touch on social media he’s really matured and he’s very good looking.”

Miss Thompson said a conversation got “a bit flirty” and thought “maybe it’s a bit more than stepbrother and stepsister.”

Mr Roberts said due to Covid restrictions and him not having a car, it had been difficult to meet up with Miss Thompson since the show was filmed, but hoped to see her soon.

Surprise - Maddie Thompson about to reveal her secret crush to Callum. Pic: ITV

Surprise - Maddie Thompson about to reveal her secret crush to Callum. Pic: ITV

He said: “After I came away and thought about it a little bit more, it made more sense to me, I remembered a lot more of our childhood.

“We started talking and it jogged my memory as to how close we were. I was quite flattered.

He added: “Lots of people think its wrong, but at the end of the day I haven’t seen her since I was a kid.”