Vernon was a friend of Zack Loveday, who he set up on a date with Harry Thompson in January 2019. Harry panicked when Zack revealed that he had only discussed football with Vernon and did not actually know him all too well. The date went well, until Harry's ex-boyfriend James Nightingale spotted the pair in The Hutch and interrupted them. The arrival of James's son Romeo Quinn made things worse when he revealed that Harry was in prison. Harry ended up abruptly ending the date in favour of a reconciliation with James.