Chris Hughes has revealed that his long-distance romance with girlfriend JoJo Siwa is not as "tricky as people think," as the couple prepares to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Since meeting on Celebrity Big Brother last year, the pair have embarked on an unlikely romance, with Chris frequently flying to the United States to see the Dance Moms star.
Embracing the Challenges
After a lengthy period apart due to JoJo's work commitments, Chris has shared that he has "embraced" the added challenges that come with maintaining a long-distance relationship. Speaking to Daily Mail, he explained that JoJo "welcomed" the break to see him after such a busy time. The former Love Island star, who has partnered with PureGym to support their new JoyStroll movement, also mentioned that JoJo has already given him a sweet token to mark their upcoming anniversary.
Recent Reunion
Chris said: "I've just got back from America on Saturday; obviously, it was her birthday last week. That was lovely out there with the family. We played golf three days in a row. She's now a very avid golfer, which is perfect for me. I didn't think she'd necessarily want to play golf on her birthday, and she actually did. So that was a win-win situation. But yeah, things are great."
He added: "It's the first time I'd seen her for a number of months, the longest time we've been apart. It was kind of nice for her to have that break after all that and have her birthday and actually enjoy it without it all clashing. So it was lovely, yeah, things are good."
Reflections on Long-Distance
Reflecting on the long-distance aspect of their relationship, Chris commented: "It is tricky, but it's not as tricky as people think. So many people ask me this, and it's like, before the last couple of months, we'd see each other every month, one way or another, whether she be over here or I go out there, so it's never as strenuous as people think. I think when you can jump on a flight and get yourself out there, if you've got the ability to do that and you've got the time, then it's a lovely thing, really."
He continued: "I kind of embrace it in the respect that I love going over to America. I love spending time with her and her family and the dogs, and it's obviously very different to being in the UK, but I kind of like that. It's always fun when I go out there, and yeah, we have a great time. Obviously, yes, you miss each other. That's very normal. Like, it would be stupid if you didn't. But it's not as physically demanding or as stressful, I think, as people would think it would be."
Blocking Out the Noise
Early in their relationship, Chris and JoJo's romance sparked a huge social media storm due to their 10-year age gap and JoJo's previous relationship with Kath Ebbs. However, Chris said they have learned to block out the noise: "I think you quickly get used to it. I think if that was like the first public relationship I had, I think it would be a bit, I'd have been even more like, 'whoa, what's going on?' kind of thing. But I think you quickly adapt, in this industry, to noise and conversations and opinions and stuff like that. And she's obviously been in it for a very long time. I've been in the industry for nine years. So yeah, I think it was not the hardest thing in the world to adapt to."
Anniversary Gift
Chris then shared the sweet gift JoJo has already given him ahead of their one-year anniversary: "She got me this lovely bracelet. We got a matching bracelet to celebrate our one year, which was very nice. The first trip we went on to where we, obviously, last year, we went to Mexico, but then we went to Florida as well, and that's where we were on the one year. At the Conrad, they get these bracelets, which have got your room key on. They've got little beads on them. She kept that. And she basically put the two beads onto the bracelet that she got. So we've both got that as a memory."
PureGym Campaign
Before detailing his relationship with JoJo, Chris also spoke about supporting PureGym's new campaign, after research showed Brits are spending more than two hours a day scrolling on their phones, the equivalent of 12km every month. The star is encouraging people to step away from their screens and take part in a 2.8km 'Joy Stroll'—the same symbolic distance their thumb typically travels in a week.
He said: "We're all completely used to it; it's very normal to have moments where you open your phone, you're not really looking for anything in particular, then you just get caught in a cycle and you're suddenly scrolling for ages and ages. And that's very normal. Like this campaign isn't saying, 'oh my God, this is not normal.' Of course it's normal. The reason this campaign exists is because it's a very common cycle that people get into, like doom scrolling."
Chris added: "No, I just like to have moments where if I am going to have a scroll, it's like once I've done something, I'll make myself a cup of tea or something, I'll sit down on the sofa and then I can breathe a bit. But I like to kind of feel like I've achieved something during the day before I kind of have those moments. And yeah, like you just said there, we all do it. I mean, we all do it. There's so much you can learn on the internet, so much you can see, so much you can keep up to date with. But it's just a reminder that there is more to life than just scrolling through your phone and just get yourself out there and you feel good for it."
He concluded: "This generation we live in now, so much is on iPads, especially for kids growing up. It's kind of a lot of them, it's all they really know because YouTube and stuff like that. I try to, when I go to bed, I try literally put my phone aside. I've been doing that a lot more recently. So I used to go to bed and you could sit on your phone, suddenly you can't sleep and all of that. But once I go to bed now, I kind of go to bed, as such."
PureGym's Joy Stroll movement encourages people across the UK to swap scrolling for movement, fresh air, and social connection. To register for the Manchester launch event, visit eventbrite.co.uk/e/joy-stroll-by-puregym-tickets-1989305552458.
