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RUINED ROMANCE
THE actor, rapper and one-time porn star who we revealed dated Meghan Markle told how she dumped him over his garlic breath — but he ended up going out with Paris Hilton instead.
Simon Rex, 43, told The Sun how he blew his chances after they snogged at the end of a romantic dinner.
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Meghan turned down his requests for another date and Simon also concedes it may be because she may have Googled him afterwards and discovered his porn film past.
He said: “It’s possible that she found out afterwards. There’s so many questions I don’t know the answer to about why we never went on a second date.
“But I’m blaming it on the garlic noodles.
"To this day that’s like an ongoing joke — don’t order the garlic noodles that ruined my chances!”
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He made up for it by going on to bed socialite Paris Hilton, whose One Night In Paris sex tape was leaked online.
Paris and Simon had an intense three-month relationship and saw each other on and off for four years. Their wild nights together were a world away from Simon’s date with “square” Meghan.
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Simon Rex, as rapper Dirt, says dates with Paris were a world away from 'square Meghan'
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In an exclusive chat from his home in LA, Simon, 43, said: “Meghan seemed well-raised and educated, she wasn’t a bad girl. She was kind of a square.
“That’s probably why we didn’t hit it off, I’m a little more rough around the edges. When I asked her out again I just got the hint she wasn’t into me. I took it on the chin.”
Meghan and Simon met in 2004 when they guest starred on Cuts, a long-forgotten US sitcom.
Simon’s career was flying high after a role on hit comedy Scary Movie 3.
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He said: “Maybe that’s why she liked me — I remember her saying she thought it was really funny. It probably helps when you’re on the poster for a big movie and in all the commercials.”
They were together for four days of rehearsals before shooting scenes in front of a live studio audience on a Friday night at Paramount studios in Hollywood.
He said: “We were both new to the show and we were both nervous. You get to know someone pretty quick when you’re sitting round together all day on set.
“She was sweet and very polite. She had kind eyes. You could tell she was a nice person.
“She would laugh at my corny jokes. I remember flirting with her, cracking jokes and her laughing. My ego loved that, of course.
“I don’t believe in love at first sight but I believe in lust at first sight and she was really attractive. She’s a beautiful girl.”
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By the last day of filming Simon decided he wanted a date and plucked up the courage to ask Meghan out.
He said: “I worked up enough nerve to give her my number.
“This is pre-smartphones and social media. It might be one of the last times I wrote my number on a napkin.”
Meghan quickly got in touch and he asked her out for dinner.
The pair went to the Woo Lae Oak, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Beverly Hills. Simon had chopsticks with his name on brought out because he was such a regular there. He ordered a beef dish and another of chicken.
He said: “We had a great time. she wouldn’t drink, I had wine but she had water or Coke.
“A lot of actresses tend to be divas but she was the opposite. She was sweet to the waiter.
“She looked really beautiful. I was like, sign me up, man!”
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But one of the other dishes Simon ordered was garlic noodles — which proved to be a mistake after he drove her home.
He recalls: “We were in the car and as I started kissing her it was obvious that I had garlic breath.
“She pulled back. It was so embarrassing.
“She said something like, ‘Oh boy, garlic’.
“I just felt so dumb. We laughed about it. She wasn’t rude about it or anything. She was honest. She was turned off. It was an awkward moment.”
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Simon asked Meghan to go to a bar or a club with him after their meal but she declined.
He said: “I remember her saying something like, ‘I’ve got to get up early’. She had to work the next day or something.”
At the end of their date, crestfallen Simon jumped out of his black Cadillac and opened the door for Meghan to let her out.
He hugged her and she went into her home.
Simon texted Meghan a couple of days later but admits: “I didn’t get a second date.
“I think she even said something along the lines of, ‘We could just be friends’, which was like a dagger to the heart.
“We stayed in touch but I got put in the ‘friend zone’ box, which sucked.”
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Meghan — who The Sun revealed used dating guide The Rules to fix her love life — stuck to one of the book’s principles with Simon — “no more than casual kissing on the first date”.
Simon said with a laugh: “Looks like she stuck to her rule book. This is all news to me!”
The Sun’s revelations about performer Simon’s past date with Meghan have caused a sensation — just a week before she is due to marry Prince Harry at Windsor Castle.
5 reasons why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are couple goals
A decade before their date Simon had performed a sex act on himself for a porn movie at age 18 after being persuaded to do it by an adult film actress he was dating.
To pay his rent, he starred as mystery hunk “Sebastian” in three solo nude sex films which went straight to video. He said: “I never had sex with anybody on camera. It was just me standing there naked.
“To me it doesn’t mean s*** but I could see why some people get their feathers ruffled about it, especially the Royal Family.”
Simon has had a string of stunning exes including Jaime Pressly from TV’s My Name Is Earl and Twin Peaks’ actress Lara Flynn Boyle.
He is also pals with Brit celebrities Calum Best and super producer Mark Ronson.
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It wasn’t long after his date with Meghan that he started seeing heiress Paris.
The blonde reality TV star had shot to fame after footage of her having sex with US poker player Rick Salomon was leaked on the internet. Simon said: “I did a movie, Pledge This with Paris.
“Me and Paris were casually dating but it was not like I couldn’t take a girl out on a date, we weren’t exclusive.
“This was when she was at the top of her fame. It was like Kim Kardashian. You couldn’t just go to get a drink or dinner because she was swarmed.
“It was non-stop. I don’t know how she does it.
“It was out of control with Paris, totally exhausting.
“It is ironic, as that’s now Meghan Markle’s world.”
The complete timeline of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's relationship
The comic and rapper — whose hip-hop alter-ego is Dirt Nasty — said he believes he would get on with Prince Harry and was impressed by his naked antics in Las Vegas.
He said: “I like the dude — he’s the one royal I like. I swear me and him, under different circumstances, would have a beer and a laugh. I really think that.
“You can tell Harry has a sense of humour. He might even be a Dirt Nasty fan, I know he’s in to hip-hop.”
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Speaking of the upcoming wedding, Simon, who is now in a new relationship, added: “I’ve got nothing but love for both of them.
“She made the better move to go with him in the long run. I think she’ll be a great princess.
“I hope they have a lot of babies and make America proud. Good on them.”
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