Charlie King and Sam Smith reportedly dated in secret

Former The Only Way Is Essex star Charlie King and singer Sam Smith secretly dated earlier this year, reports said.

According to The Sun, the two met through social media after Charlie repeatedly tweeted about being a huge fan of the multiple Grammy Award-winning artist.

.@samsmithworld You are just incredible

— CHARLIE KING (@CharlieKing85) December 14, 2014

Cannot wait to see @samsmithworld perform at #thebritawards tonight – how far this man has come in a year shows that ANYTHING is possible 🙏

— CHARLIE KING (@CharlieKing85) February 25, 2015

Sam Smith ….. What a voice #goosebumps

— CHARLIE KING (@CharlieKing85) February 25, 2015

“The pair went out together a number of times but always had to make sure they weren’t spotted. They preferred going to low-key pubs in London or to Sam’s apartment,” a source told The Sun. “The pair hung out to discover if they were compatible. Friends have said nothing romantic happened because they decided they were better off as friends.”

The source said Charlie and Sam “deliberately never took any pictures together because they wanted to keep it under wraps”. After a string of sporadic dates, they mutually agreed that a relationship between them wouldn’t work out.