CELEBS Go Dating bosses have made a big decision over Christine McGuinness' replacement after her sudden departure.
The Sun revealed that model Christine had left the E4 show after becoming "overwhelmed" with the attention on her love life and missing her family.
Fresh from the Celebrity Big Brother house, reality star Chris Hughes was lined-up to replace her, before he made a last minute U-turn.
Now The Sun can reveal that bosses have decided NOT to replace Christine, with an insider saying it wouldn't make sense to bring on a third latecomer - with The Chase's Mark Labbett and Made In Chelsea's Sam Prince already lined up as late entrants.
A source said: “Channel 4 bosses were considering replacing Christine McGuinness but have ultimately decided not to.
"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.
"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.
"They also have two late arrivals in the mix already with Mark Labbett and Sam Prince so it didn’t make sense, format-wise, to have too many latecomers.”
Last week Christine announced she had quit the E4 dating show.
In a statement, Christine said: “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 for, but for now I’m returning home to my family.”
Christine McGuinness reveals she's QUIT Celebs Go Dating just days after jetting to Ibiza to film reality show
Christine and her ex, comedian Paddy McGuiness announced they had separated in 2022 after 15 years together.
The couple first met through a mutual friend in 2007, when she was 19 and he was 33.
Two years later, he popped the question and they married in 2011 at Merseyside’s Thornton Manor Estate.
CBB star Chris Hughes had been lined up to take part but the Love Islander has made a major U-turn and pulled out last minute.
A joint statement from Chris' rep and a spokesperson for Celebs Go Dating said: "Before entering Big Brother, Chris agreed to join the Celeb's Go Dating agency and having his love life place into the hands of the agents.
"However, after an incredible but very intense experience in Big Brother, he is taking some time to decompress."
"After some joint discussions on both sides, he decided he won't be joining the show this year, but the door is open for the future," they added.
But an insider suggested his change of heart may be down to his close bond with US star JoJo.
They said: "Rumours behind the scenes are that his fledgling relationship with JoJo [Siwa] has made him feel going on a dating show would be a bad move."
It comes after Chris labelled his connection with Dance Moms star JoJo a "soulmate friendship".
Chris formed a close bond with JoJo during that time, with the pair sharing a number of intimate moments on camera.
And JoJo's partner Kath stunned fans when they revealed on social media on Saturday that JoJo had dumped them at the show after-party.
Kath went on to suggest that her ex "fell in love" with Chris, 32, on the programme.
