Olly Murs, 33, and Melanie Sykes, 47, have been ‘secretly dating for more than a year’

Olly Murs has reportedly been in a secret relationship with Melanie Sykes for over a year.

The former X Factor star, 33, is thought to have been dating the 47-year-old TV presenter since being introduced last year by a mutual friend.

“Mel loves a younger man and really fell for Olly when he got into shape late last year,” a source told The Sun.

“They were initially introduced through a mutual friend. They started texting for ages and some of the messages ended up getting quite saucy.”

According to reports, the pair bonded over their shared love of fitness, after Murs went on a health kick last year.

Despite initially insisting that they were just friends, the romance reportedly blossomed after a series of under-the-radar dates.

“They have both been determined for nobody to find out. It’s been a bit off and on and there’s a real physical attraction between them,” the insider added.

Sykes has two children, Roman, 15, and Valentino, 12 from her marriage to actor Daniel Caltagirone, which ended in 2008.

She married 29-year-old Jack Cockings in 2013 but filed for divorce less than a year later, describing it as a “difficult” time.

“The divorce was the easy bit. The hard bit was being married to the wrong person. It's always difficult to break up with somebody, but it's been for the best and I knew it at the time and that's why we're not together,” she told Fabulous magazine last year.

Murs split from his long-term girlfriend Francesca Thomas at the end of 2015 after three years together.