Gemma Sheppard (c)Matt Crossick/PA
Lee Ryan is a perfect gentleman, according to celebrity stylist Gemma Sheppard.
The Blue singer came under fire for his womanising antics in the 'Celebrity Big Brother' house, romancing both Jasmine Waltz and Casey Bachelor, but the singer's close friend and stylist insists he is nothing but respectful towards women and once came to her rescue like a "knight in shining armour".
Gemma exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I worked with the Blue boys for many years, Lee wears his heart on his sleeve ... he's such a genuinely lovely guy. Earlier this year, I was coming back from one of their gigs, driving back from Manchester; it was a very foggy night and my sat-nav broke and I got horribly lost, I nearly ended up in Penzance!
"At 3am Duncan [James] had called me and I said, 'I'm so lost!' Next thing I know, he'd called the band and Lee arrived like a knight in shining armour, totally took control of the situation, got a hotel and sorted it all out.
"I can honestly say when you work with artists you can see every side of them. I don't know anyone who has met him personally who doesn't absolutely adore him."
The stylist to the stars - who has worked on 'The X Factor' and 'Dancing On Ice' and will appear on FOX's new show 'Man Up' - thinks Lee has been misrepresented on the Channel 5 show because of the condensed time frame of every episode.
Gemma said: "Big Brother' is 24/7, it's like a human experiment, they leave the lights on at all hours, feed you at odd times, it kind of plays with your body clock. What's 24 hours to us is like 12 days to them, it has spanned a much broader spectrum of time, it magnifies it.
"However, as a woman, if I had been Casey I certainly wouldn't go back for more. I think he just didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings and he didn't consider how he was coming across. Knowing him as I do, I genuinely think it was coming from a good place."
International stylist Gemma Sheppard has partnered with Vision Express to launch an exclusive new range of Ralph Lauren eyewear, available now.
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