OK, we get it – 2016 has been pretty shitty and we don’t need to go through all the reasons why.
But, EVERY cloud has a silver lining, and so does this year.
And we are gonna say that the silver lining comes in the form of some of the most hilarious/ weird/ outrageous/ just downright cool celebs ever coming into the spotlight.
Can you even believe that this time last year we weren’t fawning over Selasi G from The Great British Bake Off? We had NO idea that Megan McKenna was so funny/angry, and as for Ed Balls – that one came like a bolt from the blue.
And we also wish we knew this little girl because she is responsible for about 90% of our LOLs this week.
So in an attempt to end the year on a good note, here are the 16 famous people that we SURPRISINGLY fell in love with in 2016.
Honey G
Of COURSE Honey G was going to be on this list, so we may as well put her at the top.
The North Weezy rapper caused many things while she was on The X Factor this year – LOLs, anger, a mass shortage of gold bomber jackets (probably).
However, heat loved her the minute she popped onto our screens with her rendition of Missy Elliot’s Work It.
Legendary.
Ed Balls
There was a time when Ed Balls was a serious politician.
But after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, Ed has procured a niche little fan base. MMMkay.
Week after week he provided pure entertainment, and his Gangnam Style performance was what dreams are made of. It has racked up 650,000 views, testament that Ed has made a smooth transition from two left feet to Happy Feet.
Joel Dommett
Coming second to Scarlett Moffatt in this year’s I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! technically makes Joel the King of the Jungle, right?
He came out of nowhere to steal our hearts, make us laugh, and show off his 48202918 abs (thank you, Joel).
We’re hoping that 2017 contains a whole lot more of the comedian/actor because TBF we’re already having withdrawal symptoms and need him back on the telly box every night.
Judge Rinder
Another celeb that has been giving us all the good feels thanks to Strictly Come Dancing is Judge Rinder.
If you haven’t seen his daytime telly show, he’s pretty much the male version of Judge Judy except he’s hilarious and we actually feel like we’d get on over a nice Cab Sav.
Rinder’s dramatic dance moves and sassy sashays have made him one of our FAVE celebs of the entire year.
Justin Bieber
It really WASN’T cool to like Justin Bieber pre-2015. But then something magical happened, and he wasn’t the annoying tween with floppy hair spitting at his fans anymore.
He seemed to grow up and suddenly he was making music that EVERYONE was happy to admit they listened to.
By the time 2016 rolled around, we were TRULY in love with him, whether it was because he decided to wear the shittest disguise we’ve ever seen while wandering around in Amsterdam, or the fact that he ditched the London club scene to go and drink milk in an Essex pub, he cemented his place in our hearts.
Beliebers 4 eva.
Stephen Bear
Before this year, Stephen Bear was just a sort of familiar sounding name thanks to his appearances on a couple of reality TV shows and the fact he went out with Vicki Pattison.
But that all changed this year. He was suddenly everywhere – he won Celebrity Big Brother, he caused waves in the Ex On The Beach house, and he’s even writing his own scary movie.
He’s pretty jokes, and despite being a bit marmitey we’re going to let him into the list because he has managed to make us proper belly laugh.
Orlando Bloom
We’ve obviously ALWAYS loved Orlando Bloom. Hello – Legolas, anybody? He made our teenage hearts sing.
But he reminded us WHY we love him this year when he decided to get his wang out and go paddle boarding with Katy Perry, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was COMPLETELY NAKED.
An iconic moment in 2016. Well done, Orlando.
And in case you missed it, Alan Carr and David Walliams recreated it for us. All the LOLs.
Zara Holland
Zara appeared on Love Island this year and famously got a barrage of shit because she got a bit naughty with co-Islander, Alex Bowen.
Which is not exactly ground-breaking stuff – the premise of the show is to find a potential love buddy, right?
However, being Miss Great Britain, the whole thing left Zara stripped of her crown and at the centre of a media circus.
But she dealt with it like an absolute pro and stood up to the criticism because, you know, it’s not the ’50s.
GO ZARA.
Megan McKenna
Megan appeared on Britain’s Got Talent what feels like many moons ago (remember her jumping out of that cake with her bestie?), but it wasn’t until this year that we really got to know her.
She appeared on our screens in Celebrity Big Brother at the beginning of the year when we realised just how funny – and pretty scarily angry – she was. This is probably our favourite compilation of all time.
She then went onto TOWIE and quickly became one of our favourite cast mates.
Perrie Edwards
The whole world saw the breakdown of Perrie and Zayn Malik’s relationship, and we all let out a little awkward gasp when he went public with his relationship with Gigi Hadid.
We found out the split left her heartbroken and homeless.
Sob.
But then Perrie, like a complete badass, came back this year feistier than ever. YES, GIRL.
Shout Out To My Ex is the song every girl needs after a break-up.
We also really wish that this was real.
Selasi GBBO
Selasi is quite frankly the coolest guy we have ever met through the telly box (and then we met him in real life and melted – watch the video here.)
He breezed through the Great British Bake Off kitchen while everyone else was in a flap. Remember that time he actually lay down on the floor, because why not?
So much love.
He quickly stole all of our hearts (and we claimed him as our own boyfriend) when we learnt that he’s not just a culinary whizz – he also does a tonne of charity work and rides a motorcycle.
Coolest. Person. Ever.
Luke Pasqualino
Luke shot back into everyone’s lives this year when he set tongues wagging by supposedly dating celebs like Perrie Edwards and more recently, TOWIE’s Jess Wright.
But the reason we fell in love with him all over again (post-Skins) is because we remembered how adorable he was when he played alongside the beaut that is Michelle Keegan in Our Girl.
Joe Wicks
A year ago, few people knew what Lean In 15 was. Now, Joe Wicks has accumulated an absolutely ginormous social media following thanks to his funny cooking videos and his cheeky grin.
Nothing to do with all the topless selfies he posts. Nothing at all.
But the lovely Londoner went from becoming Insta-famous to achieving world domination thanks to the success of his diet and exercise plan. And has he changed since he was catapulted into the public eye?
Not at all. He’s still lovely as ever, which makes us love him EVEN MORE.
Millie Bobby Brown
Quite possibly the coolest 12-year-old in the world, Millie Bobby Brown is now a household name thanks to her superb acting in Stranger Things.
TBF, all the kids in the show are brilliant, but Millie just oozes cool. Loads of people dressed up as Eleven for Halloween this year – proof that she is a complete legend.
She shaved her head IRL for the part and can rap Nicki Minaj.
Our FAVE.
Val Stones GBBO
Val was an absolute legend in The Great British Bake Off and decided to shimmy off to Ayia Napa after the show.
‘Nuff said.
Lindsay Lohan
We’ve always loved Linds, from her Parent Trap performance to the most iconic film of any nineties girl’s time, Mean Girls.
But this year, we loved her all over again when a video emerged of her talking about her new club venture.
The reason?
She has developed her own, very unique accent, and the whole thing is such a bizarre mix of Russian/French/Turkish/anything EXCEPT her native American accent, that we have watched it at least 15 times to try and work out what’s happening.
Lindsay later addressed the talk about her new accent and labelled it 'Lilohan'.
We heart you, gurl.