Chantelle Houghton is still in touch with her ex-husband Preston

Sadly, the couple split after less than a year of marriage but the pair have remained friends and she is proud that they still have a platonic relationship.

Speaking to Closer magazine, she said: "I'm still in touch with Preston, which is lovely. I actually spoke to him a few weeks ago.

"We were so young when we met, and it didn't work out, but it's nice we're still friends. Even when we split, we lived together for a while and would have dinner at the table as normal, because we never had a huge falling out."

Chantelle - who has a daughter with former fiancé Alex Reid - is open to finding love again but she only wants a serious relationship and isn't interested in casually dating lots of guys.

She said "I'd definitely like to meet someone new. I've been in the shadows for a few years but I feel like a new version of myself.

"When you're younger and you meet someone, you tend to gloss over the cracks, but now I'm at the stage where I won't settle for anyone but the love of my life."

Meanwhile, Chantelle has admitted she's always felt insecure about her appearance, even when working as a glamour model.

The blonde beauty has shed nearly 30lbs and undergone Botox and a non-surgical face lift in a bid to boost her confidence.

She said: "I was never as confident as people believed. When I looked in the mirror, I thought I looked like I'd been dug up and felt downtrodden.

"I'll be 40 in four years and though I don't feel old on the inside, my face was starting to look aged.

"There are so many pictures of me where I look fresh-faced. It was easy to keep looking and comparing myself."