Matt Lapinskas and Brianne Delcourt
Former 'EastEnders' star Matt Lapinskas claims dating Shona McGarty was "like hell" and she cared more about partying than their relationship.
The 25-year-old actor, who played Anthony Moon in the BBC1 soap until 2012, split with Shona in March last year after growing close to his 'Dancing On Ice' partner Brianne Delcourt but insists it was Shona who got caught up in the celebrity lifestyle and ruined their relationship.
He told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "Shona had no interest in being there for me. All she was interested in was going out partying until 2am.
"She would turn up on my doorstep. Or I'd get a call from one of her friends and have to drop everything. This was a regular thing - she would go out during the week and most weekends."
Shona, who plays Whitney Dean, was suspended from the soap in 2012 for constantly turning up late for filming and Matt, who later went on to star on 'Dancing On Ice', claims he found it hard to concentrate on rehearsals because he felt like he was "looking after a child."
He said: "I would show up at the ice rink at 7am not knowing what I was doing because I'd only had an hour's sleep. By the time I had dealt with Shona I'd sleep for a bit, throw myself in the car, go to the rink and start skating the wrong routine because I was so tired. It was like having two full-time jobs."
Matt feared if he broke up with Shona people would blame Brianne and he felt "trapped" in the relationship while also falling for the professional skater.
Shona, 22, and Matt met in August 2011 and started spending all of their time together while Matt said it was like "love at first sight."
The couple dated for 18 months and Matt even thought about marrying Shona but things turned sour after he left the soap.
He explained: "Things between us were fine at 'EastEnders' and at the time it felt right. But as soon as I left the show we went through one rough patch after another.
"I was excited about my new journey on 'Dancing On Ice' and tried to involve her. But she had no interest. I got no support whatsoever. She came to the first show and then didn't bother."
Matt insists he never cheated on Shona with Brianne, 33, and revealed the final straw came when she told him about a surprise birthday party Brianne had organised for him.
The pair then had a massive argument at a hotel and Shona, who is now dating electrician boyfriend Ryan Wilkins, reportedly "screamed" at Matt telling him she was leaving him.
He added: "Sometimes in life I think you need to go through the wrong relationship to find the right one - that's what I've done."
A close friend of Shona's said: "Shona has moved way past this time in her life and has no regrets or hard feelings towards either Matt or Brianne."
Tagged in Dancing on Ice Eastenders Shona McGarty