EXCLUSIVE: Olivia Attwood lands the biggest TV job of her career as host of new ITV dating show that rules her out of this year’s I’m A Celeb comeback

By William On Nov 7, 2023

Olivia Attwood’s dreams of appearing on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! are over, MailOnline can reveal.

The former Love Island star, 32, was hotly tipped to star in this year’s series after being forced to leave the jungle in 2022 due to a sudden health crisis.

But MailOnline can reveal the documentary filmmaker will not return to Australia for the next season after landing the biggest TV job of her career as host of a new ITV dating show.

The presenter, who has made a name for herself not only in reality TV but also filming documentaries exploring the world of online sex sales, has been handed a six-figure deal to front the series, which is predicted to be the next will be a big step since Love Island. .

Due to her upcoming filming schedule, Olivia cannot return to I’m A Celeb after she was left ‘devastated’ when the results of a routine medical test last year revealed she had ‘dangerously low potassium levels’.

Olivia Attwood’s dreams of appearing on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! are over, MailOnline can reveal

The former Love Island star was strongly tipped to star in this year’s series after being forced to leave the jungle in 2022 due to a sudden health crisis

A source told MailOnline: ‘Olivia was so upset when she suddenly had to leave the jungle last year… everyone saw how incredibly disappointed she was.

‘She had been in talks with ITV for months to return to I’m A Celeb, both parties wanted it to work as it was unfair that her time on the show was cut so short, when it was always her dream to be part to take.

‘But the opportunity to present a brand new dating show on ITV came up and she jumped at the chance.

‘The show has been tipped as the next big dating series since Love Island, but focused more on exploring relationships, so it really comes full circle for Olivia.

‘She loves presenting but also loves reality television and has never forgotten the platform Love Island has given her… this new role is a perfect fit for the two.’

After finding fame on Love Island in 2017, Olivia’s career has gone from strength to strength.

From launching her own reality show Meets Her Match to filming documentary series Getting Filthy Rich, Olivia has quickly become one of ITV’s golden girls.

In recent months she has joined Loose Women as a panelist with the likes of Christine Lampard, Ruth Langsford and Brenda Edwards.

Olivia recently joined the Loose Women panel, further cementing her role as an ITV staple

Olivia married footballer Bradley Dack in a luxury London wedding earlier this year after the couple’s big day was postponed twice

The network’s fondness for the star led to Olivia’s casting on I’m A Celeb, making her the first former Love Island contestant to star

At the Edinburgh TV Festival in August, she was named one of the channel’s ‘faces of the future’ by head of TV and ITV2 boss Paul Mortimer, who even dubbed her ‘the new Cilla Black’.

He said: ‘She was one of the standout Love Islanders a few years ago and has moved on, through TOWIE and her own reality show and some brilliant, compelling documentaries.

‘She, I dare to guarantee, is the face of the future. She is a major talent who is being nurtured by ITV and is slowly working her way through the ranks. I inevitably believe she will be the next Cilla Black.”

The network’s fondness for the star led to Olivia’s casting in I’m A Celeb, making her the first former Love Island contestant to star in the lead role.

But her time in Australia was short-lived after a medical examination in which she underwent a blood test revealed she was anemic, raising concerns among producers.

After being rushed to a local hospital, it was deemed too risky for Olivia to return to the jungle, where campmates compete in grueling trials and survive without rations.

She was forced to deny speculation that she was pregnant or had contracted Covid after the internet was filled with rumors about why she was suddenly removed from the show.

This year’s line-up reportedly includes This Morning presenter Josie Gibson, former rugby player Danny Cipriani and Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson.

MailOnline has contacted Olivia’s rep and ITV for comment.