TOWIE is heading for an explosive return, as two of the show’s stars are reportedly at odds after a massive fall-out that has left their once-close friendship in tatters.
Tension between Junaid Ahmed, 29, and Dani Imbert, 26, has escalated following a series of dramatic events on set, leaving the two cast members refusing to speak to each other.
Their rift deepened when Junaid failed to defend Dani after his boyfriend Joe Blackman’s social media attack, setting the stage for a dramatic Christmas special.
A source told The Sun: “Dani had been a bit of an ally for Junaid throughout his recent TOWIE drama, although she wasn’t on board with him and Joe, she was his shoulder to cry on and the first person that he confided to that he was developing feelings.
“They’ve had a good friendship for a long time, and she supported him again when he and Joe split.
“On screen in the series finale we saw Junaid ringing her in tears when he and Joe split.
“However the pair have now unfollowed each other on social media so there’s bound to be fireworks on screen when the show returns in a couple of weeks’ time.
“The pair have fallen out after Joe did some mudslinging on social media and started calling Dani all kinds of mean names. The post was deleted but not before cast members saw it…
“Dani felt that Junaid didn’t defend her as much as she’d hoped so relations between the pair have got very frosty and are at an all-time low.
“Junaid and Joe are more or less being isolated by most cast at the moment as nearly everyone has taken Harry’s side after his split with Joe – safe to say it is going to be an explosive Christmas special.”
Last month, we told how the former pals had ‘snubbed’ each other after the show’s explosive Christmas special.
Filming for the festive episode, which airs this month, took place in November.
Although, the ex besties unfollowed each other on Instagram.
The pair were famously close, having flown out to Turkey last summer on an £8k ‘surgery trip’ ahead of the new series.
A source said at the time: “Junaid and Dani have been speaking about getting veneers for a while and decided now is the perfect time to take the plunge.
“They’ve chosen Comfort Zone Dental, which has treated the likes of Danielle Lloyd, Amy Childs and Harry Derbidge in the past, and are really excited to get in the dentist’s chair.
“They’ll be back in Essex and ready to get stuck into the drama before you know it, with a sparkling set of smiles each.”
Meanwhile, Towie fans accused the show of being “fake” after spotting a huge mistake in dramatic series finale scenes.
Series 34 wrapped up with Junaid making a heartbreaking confession about his relationship with Joe.
Viewers watched as Joe started a shock romance with Junaid after splitting from Harry Derbidge.
But it all ended in tears and Junaid was seen making a call to Dani to reveal it was over.
The news soon spread to other Towie stars – namely Elma Pazar, Saffron Lempriere and Amy Childs.
However, eagle-eyed fans soon spotted a problem.
One wrote on Instagram: “You could see all the people getting phone calls wasn’t even on the phone.”
Another said: “It’s nice when your camera rings you and gives you abit of drama.”
The upcoming festive episode also sees a fan favourite make a special cameo appearance.
Original cast member James “Arg” Argent will return – six years on from leaving the show.
