INBETWEENERS star and Chelmsford lad Joe Thomas has revealed how he is a bit of a hopeless romantic, not too different from his on-screen star.

Joe, 30, who went to King Edward Grammar School, spoke out as the second film is released.

It sees his character Simon, along with Neil and Will, fly out to Australia to meet up with pal Jay, who is Down Under on his gap year...Hilarity and cringe worthy moments ensue!

Joe said the relationship advice handed out by the guys on screen “was terrible”, adding he was a real romantic at heart.

He said: “I’ve tended to have quite serious, long-term monogamous relationships.

“I’ve never had the cojones to be a player, and I don’t know any men who do.”

Joe said playing the embarrassing Simon is a job and one he wants to do well, adding he’d only feel embarrassed if he thought he wasn’t doing it well.

Giving his take on relationships – Simon has had a string of disastrous ones in the show – Joe said: “A sense of humour is pretty much my favourite quality in any person.

“There’s a lot of embarrassment involved in relationships and, if you’ve got a sense of humour, you can skirt around those bits. It becomes a way of making somebody feel comfortable.”

The full interview with Joe appears in the September issue of Cosmopolitan. The film is out in cinemas now.