Celebs Go Dating ‘makes decision over replacing Christine McGuinness’ after exit

Celebs Go Dating bosses have reportedly made a decision on whether to replace Christine McGuinness following the star’s sudden exit last week and Chris Hughes’ rumoured drop out

Celebs Go Dating has made a decision over Christine McGuinness’ exit(Image: Channel 4)
Celebs Go Dating bosses have reportedly made a decision on the new series’ line-up following the exit of Christine McGuinness. The model, 37, announced on Instagram that she had left the series just days into filming Celebs Go Dating in Ibiza.

She wrote in a statement last week: “I joined Celebs Go Dating with great intentions but have realised that dating on a public platform and the attention that brings is just too soon for me. They’ve said the door is always open for me which I’m so grateful but for now I’m returning home to my family.”

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Christine McGuinness quit Celebs Go Dating last week(Image: Channel 4)

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Now, Celebs Go Dating has reportedly chosen not to replace her following Chris Hughes’ dramatic U-turn. The Celebrity Big Brother star had reportedly been lined up to take Christine’s place on the show, but decided not to take the gig at the last minute.

According to The Sun, Channel 4 bosses have decided not to bring in another latecomer after considering replacing Christine. “Obviously they toyed with putting Chris Hughes in the mix but then he changed his mind, and they felt like that would have made the line-up too male heavy anyway,” a source said.

“Production is already underway and they didn’t want to scramble to find someone of Christine’s calibre because that signing took months to land.”

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They added that with Mark Labbett and Sam Prince already joining the show as late arrivals, it “didn’t make sense” to have too many.

The Mirror has reached out to Celebs Go Dating for comment.

Following Christine’s exit announcement last week, a spokesperson for Celebs Go Dating said in a statement: “We have loved having Christine on the show and completely respect her feelings and decision to return home and have told her that the door is always open for her in the future at the agency.”

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Shortly afterwards, dating expert Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn opened up about Christine’s departure, telling The Sun: “Her situation outside of the show is very complex so we will focus on helping her gain clarity about what she wants to do moving forward and build confidence in dating again.

As a dating expert, I admire Christine for putting her wellbeing first. Opening up to love on such a public platform isn’t easy, and it’s incredibly brave to recognise when the timing isn’t right.” She added the show would ‘welcome her back with open arms’ if she feels ready in the future.