Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd had viewers baffled when he made a hand signal towards the camera as he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday.

But now the meaning behind the gesture has been revealed, and it’s not what you think.

The actor, 37, sported a black short-sleeve shirt with white and pink flowers, teaming it with black trousers, as he took to the stage for the launch show in front of a raucous studio audience.

Asked by hosts Will Best and AJ Odudu about appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, he said: ‘I’m fine, I think it’ll be fun. I’m sure everybody is really nice and we all got along. [Corrie co-star Colson Smith] has given me loads of advice and loads of tips.’

He then presented a gesture to the camera which involved a raised pinky finger, index finger, and an extended thumb.

Jack’s last action before entering the CBB house left fans rather confused but now MailOnline can explain the true meaning behind the symbol. 

Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd had viewers baffled when he made a hand signal towards the camera as he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday

The actor, 37, sported a black short-sleeve shirt with white and pink flowers, teaming it with black trousers, as he took to the stage with AJ Odudu and Will Best for the launch show

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for mistaking this for the Sign of the Horns emoji, which features a hand with the pinky and index fingers extended, and signals ‘rock on’.

However, the addition of the thumb actually completely changes the meaning.

Instead, this popular emoji really means ‘I love you’.

The news has come as a shock to many emoji users, including one who was left red-faced by her misinterpretation of the sign.

‘So I sent one of my male friends this emoji today thinking it meant something cool forgetting it actually means I love you…well that was an embarrᴀssing conversation,’ she tweeted.

The ‘I love you’ emoji is based on American Sign Language. 

The pinky finger extended represents the letter ‘I’, while the thumb and index finger extended together represent the letter ‘L’.

Meanwhile, the pinky and thumb extended together represent the letter ‘Y’.

The emoji in question features a hand with a raised pinky finger, index finger, and an extended thumb

This similar Sign of the Horns hand sign is often ᴀssociated with heavy metal culture, and has roots in Italian traditions as a ward against the ‘evil eye’

So, when these letters are combined, they represent ‘ILY’ – or ‘I love you’.

The similar Sign of the Horns hand sign is often ᴀssociated with heavy metal culture, and has roots in Italian traditions as a ward against the ‘evil eye’.

Now, it is commonly used to signify ‘rock on’ or ‘good times’ – and importantly, it keeps the thumb clasped against the two middle fingers, rather than extended.

‘I’ve always meant rock on or let’s rock something like that lol,’ one user tweeted about the ‘I love you’ emoji.

Another said: ‘I thought it meant rock on.’

And one joked: ‘I love you! I didn’t know that’s the meaning. I just saw it on a woman’s shirt and I had to know what it means.’

The ‘I love you’ emoji isn’t the only one you’ve probably been using wrong.

While you might ᴀssume that a heart emoji just means love, in emoji slang each different colour actually has its own hidden meaning.

The news has come as a shock to many emoji users, including one who was left red-faced by her misinterpretation of the sign

Read More People just realising popular emoji has different meaning to what they thought…did YOU know?

In the most common view, a red heart represents classic love or romantic feelings.

An orange heart is used for warmth, enthusiasm, or love between friends and family.

Meanwhile, a blue heart is used less for romance, and more frequently to express friendship or to say that something is cute.

Likewise, a black heart doesn’t necessarily have any ᴀssociations with death or dark emotions and is more often used as an alternative to the red heart for aesthetic reasons.

Drug emoji: Do you know what they mean? 

Cannabis: Strawberry, dog, cherries, cake, ice cream or leaves

Cocaine: Nose, blowfish, petrol pump, snowman or snowflake

NOS (canister gas): Balloon

Ketamine: Horse

Types of drugs: Crystal, pill, syringe and cloud

Dealing drugs: Number Eight pool ball, eyes and plug