Mark Wright will not take part in the ‘Only Way is Essex’ 10th anniversary specials.
The 33-year-old presenter – who is married to actress Michelle Keegan – shot to fame on the reality show but quit after three series in 2011, and though he has made occasional cameo appearances in later series, he’s told producers he has "moved on" and won’t be involved in the upcoming celebrations.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: "It’s a shame as Mark has clearly forgotten his roots. The show made him who he is and he wouldn’t have had all of his work gigs, like his radio show, without ‘TOWIE’ putting him on the map.
"He’s said he’s in a different part of his life now and doesn’t want to go back to ‘TOWIE’ again."
Producers are hoping no other stars will follow Mark in opting out of the specials and won’t be getting too upset by his decision not to be involved.
The insider added: "ITV bosses have got the real king of Essex back, Joey Essex, though, so they aren’t losing any sleep over Mark’s decision.
"They hope Mark will be the only former castmate who has refused to take part."
The news comes after producers were forced to overhaul their plans for the anniversary because of the social distancing measures imposed due to coronavirus.
It had initially been planned to film new episodes following the show’s usual format, but those have now been scrapped in favour of a fan-voted countdown of the programme’s best moments, which will feature a running commentary from ‘TOWIE’s best-loved faces.
The show has run for 25 series since it began on ITV2 in October 2010.