Meghan Markle was ghosted by UK reality show winner
Prior to meeting Prince Harry, Meghan Markle connected with an ITV reality show star online.
Matt Cardle on messages to Meghan Markle back in 2019
Meghan Markle struck up an online friendship with an X Factor winner only to find herself ghosted when he got a new girlfriend. Matt Cardle beat out One Direction to win the TV talent contest in 2010 and sold a million copies of his debut single When We Collide.
Five years later in 2015, he followed Meghan, now 43, on social media after she caught his eye on TV drama Suits. It didn't go unnoticed by Meghan who began to message him online.
It was claimed at the time the now Duchess of Sussex was a fan of his music and had even suggested meeting up. Although he replied to her, he admitted he stopped all correspondence when he met his former girlfriend Amber Hernaman.
Recalling their brief flirtation later Matt said: "It was just a very weird situation — very odd. And I really don't know how it came about. Life's got a course and I was not on that one. I've laughed about it, but it's amazing thinking back."
Express.co.uk contacted representatives for the Duchess of Sussex who declined to comment.
In 2019 Matt made light of the situation during an appearance on Lorraine who complimented him on how he dealt with it.
"It was so little then and if not nothing now. Yeah, like I say it was nothing, it was absolutely nothing.
"It's quite funny how something can be made up from nothing," he added.
Meghan and Prince Harry were introduced in 2016, a year after Matt spoke to her online, and she went on to marry the royal in May 2018.
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Matt appeared to be destined for superstardom after winning the show and landing a record deal with Simon Cowell's label Syco.
Unfortunately, he struggled with addiction and found himself dropped by both Simon and his girlfriend at the time.
For the past decade, he has been making a mark starring in West End musicals such as & Juliet with which he is currently touring.
He is now planning a return to the music industry and has said he will be releasing a new album next year.
