Tully Smyth responds to rumours she's dating Richie Strahan.

“I can date whoever I want to date.”

Tully Smyth has broken her silence on the rumours she’s claimed herself Australia’s Coolest Banana.

In what appears to be a cross-network reality TV love affair (SCANDAL), the rumour mill has been churning away with news that 2013 Big Brother contestant Tully Smyth has snapped up Channel 10’s Bachelorette contender, Richie Strahan.

As you would expect from a couple of reality TV celebs, the two first connected on Twitter last month and have been keeping in close contact ever since.

What followed was a series of flirty tweets and a string of public outings together, including a David Guetta gig, a dinner date, and a reported pash at the Melbourne Cup .

Need a refresher? Watch the video below of Tully’s Big Brother catwalk performance (post continues after video).

And what do you get when teenage girls hear you’ve stolen their fictional boyfriend? You get trolls. A LOT of trolls.(You also get the entire Mamamia office biting their fingernails at the thought of Richie not being the 2016 Bachelor. Which would obviously be nothing short of a disaster.)

According to the panel of relationship experts Twitter Trolls, Tully isn’t a good fit for the nation’s most adorably awkward and attractive human, resulting in a full week of online abuse.

In a long string of tweets Tully, who is no stranger to the nasty-side of social media, FINALLY addressed the rumours surrounding her alleged love affair.

Take THAT, nasty pasties.

Admittedly, we’re not 100% sure whether or not Tully and Richie are an item, but, we do think the “As long as we’re happy…” comment might be a fair indication the two are more than buddies.

Tully signed off her online rant with a final message for the haters:

She’s certainly got a point.

How do you feel about the Tully and Richie relationship rumours?