Ricky Rayment is reportedly leaving ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ "by mutual consent".
The 25-year-old hunk – who previously dated his on-screen co-star Jess Wright, but is now seeing Marnie Simpson from MTV’s ‘Geordie Shore’ – will not be making the cast’s annual jaunt to Marbella, Spain, after recently holding discussions with producers about his future on the ITVBe programme.
A source said: "Ricky felt it was time to go. Neither he nor Jess really wanted to keep filming together.
"The storylines weren’t moving forward. Plus his new romance with Marnie is a bone of contention as there was no way bosses would bring a character in from ‘Geordie Shore’."
Despite walking away from ‘The Only Way Is Essex’, Ricky is apparently keen to remain in the spotlight and is currently considering his next career steps.
An insider told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Ricky has a huge following from ‘TOWIE’ and isn’t ready to step out of the spotlight just yet. He’s mulling over his options right now."
Meanwhile, Marnie has previously ruled out the prospect of her ever appearing on ‘TOWIE’.
She admitted: "I don’t think I could handle the Essex lot, we’re total opposites."
Ricky Rayment ‘leaves The Only Way Is Essex’
