Model Christine McGuiness has quit Celebs Go Dating just days into filming over concerns it’s “too soon” for her to publicly date after her separation from former Take Me Out presenter, Paddy McGuiness.
The pair announced they were divorcing after 11 years of marriage in 2022, shortly after the airing of their documentary Our Family and Autism in 2021. The former couple co-parent three children: twins Penelope and Leo, 11, and eight-year-old Felicity – all of whom have been diagnosed with Autism.
McGuiness, 37, will reportedly be replaced by Celebrity Big Brother contestant Chris Hughes, 32, who has prompted relationship rumours with Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa, 21, in recent weeks.
Announcing the decision on Instagram, McGuiness said: “I joined Celebs Go Dating with great intentions but have realised that dating on a public platform and the attention it 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,” McGuiness, who had already flown to Ibiza for the programme, added.
Hughes, who captivated Celebrity Big Brother viewers with his close friendship to Siwa throughout the ITV reality competition – but has since said their bond is “platonic” – is reportedly stepping in.
“This is set to be a great coup for Celebs Go Dating,” a source told The Sun. “The agents will be eager to get to know the real truth about Chris and what he is looking for following his connection with JoJo.”
The Independent has contacted Channel 4 and Hughes’s representatives for comment.
Siwa and Hughes have vehemently denied there is anything romantic between them, insisting their relationship is a “soulmate friendship” in all appearances following Celebrity Big Brother.
In a 13-minute video uploaded to social media last week (26 April), Siwa’s ex-partner, Kath Ebbs, 27, claimed that the “Karma” singer had split up with them just hours after the series ended, during the show’s wrap party, with Hughes in the next room.
“Chris does not have absolutely anything to do with it,” Siwa said of her break-up on the Viall Files podcast this week.
“Chris and I are friends, we have a very great friendship. It's a very special bond unlike any friendship I've ever created but my situations are completely unrelated and that kind of got misconstrued.”
Former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, 44, and Made in Chelsea star Sam Prince, 28, are also set to appear on this season of Celebs Go Dating, which will return to screens for its 14th series this summer.
Prince said: “I’m looking forward to meeting new people but also to discover more about myself and to understand where things have gone wrong in past relationships.”
