Mark Wright says winning over Michelle Keegan was harder than cracking America in rare relationship insight

Mark Wright has given a rare insight into the start of his relationship with Michelle Keegan. The former The Only Way is Essex star and the ex-Coronation Street favourite wed in 2015 in front of their family and friends at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds.

Michelle is probably best known for starring in ITV's Corrie as Tina McIntyre from 2008 to 2014 before appearing in BBC's Our Girl, and Sky comedy Brassic among others. Meanwhile, hubby Mark shot to fame overnight on ITVBe's TOWIE before appearing on I'm A Celebrity, after which he picked up a few TV hosting roles and in 2017 moved to America presented on the American entertainment news programme EXTRA for three years.

It had previously been documented that the couple had met three years before they said 'I Do' in Dubai. However, Mark has now revealed that they actually met backstage one year at The X Factor before subsequently bumping into each other at numerous other events after.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

"I chased her for a while," the 36-year-old admitted on the Private Parts podcast hosted by Jamie Laing. "Basically she gave me the elbow for about a year and then finally I got my way, after a lot of work. I don't know who was harder to crack actually, her or my American boss."

As already mentioned, Mark and Michelle, 35, first met backstage in the green room at The X Factor and then bumped into each other again three days later at a Manchester United charity dinner. And fate seemed to be guiding them together as a week after that, they met again at the National Television Awards.

"People were suspecting things but we genuinely wasn't [dating]," he added to Jamie on the podcast. "And then about literally a year