[Red Moon]

I'm like a teenager in love

NOW Cerys is looking forward to her first private date with the man she fell for on live TV.

Fresh from her heartbreak divorce, she is determined not to let new love Marc slip from her grasp.

But the 38-year-old I'm A Celebrity star admits she is scared about starting a new relationship after everything she's been through.

Last night she told us: "I feel like a lovestruck teenager again. Marc's such a fine guy.

"I never thought it would turn out like this but it's still in its early stages and I'm not going to jinx anything. I'm not going to turn back from attempting to make a relationship with Marc, he's such a sweet-natured person.

"But I fully intend to take it as slowly as possible because I've got my two children to think of."

Cerys, who had a string of hits with Catatonia including Road Rage, never believed she would find the incredible happiness she has today after reaching rock bottom.

As her career with the band came to a messy end she got hooked on heroin and heavy boozing. Then earlier this year, despite cleaning herself up and turning her life around, she had to cope with the devastation of her marriage to American Seth Riddle breaking up.

Duvet

Now she is looking to the future, a new album and a new love. Cerys revealed she has already invited Bannerman to her home in Wales to meet all the family.

Watch Cerys Matthews confess all in in our exclusive video interview

"I want to make sure the children are happy and settled first but then Marc's planning to come up and see me.

"I just want it to be homely, to get to know each other away from the cameras. I'm going to lay out a duvet or my favourite cashmere rug on the sofa, pour Marc a glass of red wine and order a pizza!

"I can't wait to see him again. I'd love to go to him straight away but my children are the priority.

"I'm sure we will be on the phone as often as possible. Right now, we just want to talk and talk.

"I'm looking forward to a big Marc hug but mostly I want to chat to him, go for dinner, go to the cinema, show him the countryside. It's exciting. I can't wait to show him around Wales. He's only ever been to Abergavenny."

And Cerys can't wait for her first Christmas back in her homeland, hopefully with Marc.

She said: "If Marc's as sweet, considerate, funny, friendly and easy-going in the real world then I'm going to be very happy to get to know him and spend time with him. If his record collection is as good as he says, that's great too!

"Maybe Marc will be with us at Christmas, I don't know yet. We have to take it slowly, but it would be nice."

Sadly, Cerys knows only too well the dangers of rushing into relationships.

She admitted: "Seth and I split up because we both had huge romantic ideals and went very quickly into marriage, had children quickly and desperately wanted it to work.

"But we had very different aspirations in life which made it impossible to be together. That's why I'm going to go slow with Marc.

"Seth recently said I was headstrong, he's right about that.

"He also said I'm heartless, but if you're in a failing relationship it's quite easy to think the other person is heartless. He's a very charismatic man and a very loving dad.

"There were immense problems in our marriage that we both know about. We don't need to discuss them here. We've got two lovely children and that's the important thing.

"I have respect for Seth because he's the father of my children. I'll always be close to his family. Are we friends? It's very early days but we're parents of two beautiful children.

"I went quickly into my marriage but I won't rush into it again. I don't regret marrying Seth. I learned so much about relationships, patience, loyalty and love for children.

"I don't live life with regret. All your mistakes make you a bigger, better and stronger person.

"We both know what happened in that marriage. It must be hard for him. Divorce is not something I recommend.

"After it happened I just didn't think I'd find someone to fall in love with.

"My last year has been concentrating on trying to leave a marriage that wasn't working as painlessly as possibly so that the children would be affected as little as possible. MY needs weren't on the top of my list.

"It's been a tough year, which is why I didn't worry about going into the jungle—I knew it wouldn't be as difficult as life outside!"

Cerys then recalled her earlier problems struggling with the break-up of Catatonia.

"I hit rock bottom in the year 2000," she confessed. "I wasn't coping very well with being in a band because it had become full of mistrust and suspicion. We'd had a brilliant time but it was running out of steam badly.

"I wanted out but I didn't know how to escape. I was severely depressed and in a band I didn't want to be in.

"Every day was a struggle so I turned to alcohol and drugs to numb my pain on a daily basis. I was in a state of complete hopelessness.

"I didn't feel like I deserved the success that we had. I was working too hard and I partied way too much.

"I couldn't sleep, I couldn't sit still. I was either working or finding company and solace in drugs.

"I was smoking heroin every day and I lost all sense of reality because I never thought I'd be able to get away from the depression I was feeling.

"A year later I discovered I was totally burnt out and I decided to go into rehab to start rebuilding my life. And it was in there I knew I had to leave Catatonia.

"I made a clean break in Nashville, where I totally turned my life around. I'd been on road trips there and knew it was the place for me.

"I started to record music again as a solo artist and filled my life with hope and optimism instead of booze and drugs.

Excited

"Now I don't need to escape. I wasn't happy back then and I felt trapped. Now, I'm not."

And her life is definitely on the up. Cerys goes on tour in February and March and has a new album out next year called Turn It On Slow.

She said: "I'm excited about it. I don't know if there'll ever be a Catatonia reunion. I'm not ready to do it yet but I've made peace with those times in my head."

But one thing that MAY be on the cards is more children.

Cerys said: "If I was with the right man, the right set-up and my kids were happy and content, I'd love more. But unless everything is perfect, I wouldn't.

"I doubt very much that I'll ever get married again. But I feel like I'm in a great place at the moment.

"The jungle was one of the best things I've done in my life. I had a blast.

"And on top of that I've met someone I really like and want to spend more time with."

Source: News of the World

[Jackie]

Pizza how romantic