Forget the lonely hearts, the new Blind Date TV show has already dumped its presenter!
Vicky Pattison was set to front the reboot of the iconic TV favourite, once presented by the late national treasure, Cilla Black.
So who has Channel 5 been seeing behind the Geordie Shore star’s back?
Turns out producers are going a little more upmarket with the well-established and highly-experienced TV and radio presenter, Mel Sykes.
At least Mel, 46, can be relied upon to get the name of the show right. Remember Vicky’s major mess-up on the I’m A Celeb’ spin-off ‘Extra Camp’ when she called it the Xtra Factor? Oops.
The Geordie Shore star, 29, was the early favourite to star on Channel 5’s attempt to bring the format back to popularity.
It’s thought bosses want its stars to appeal to an older audience.
Model Mel joins new host Paul O’Grady in the shake-up. Paul’s set to take on the voiceover role previously held by Graham Skidmore, famously known by Cilla as “Our Graham.”
But hold your horses on Vicky’s disappointment because a showbiz source told a newspaper that she was never in the frame to front the show in the first place.
They say: “While Vicky was never going to take on Cilla’s presenting role, she was the frontrunner to star in some way.
“However, the show has changed direction from its original plans. It was first aimed at a young audience for a Friday night slot, but after signing Paul it switched to Sunday night and is now being aimed at an older audience.”
A pal of the gorgeous Geordie has said that she, like several other stars, Vicky was in the running for the job but producers obviously opted for Mel – but she was never dropped.
It’s about time we got some fun Sunday night viewing and it’s a bold move from Channel 5 to try and claim a stake in the prime TV slot.
Melanie Sykes is in love with her new role, meanwhile, saying: “It’s an honour to be joining such an iconic show and to be working alongside my dear friend Paul. I can’t wait to help a new generation find love on the show.”
The show is expected to relaunch this summer and filming will get underway very soon.
It’ll be a bitter-sweet experience for Paul, 61, who was one of Cilla’s closest friends.
He read a moving and tearful eulogy to his pal at her funeral in 2015.
Cilla fronted Blind Date on rival channel, ITV from 1985 until 2003, famously pairing some very happy – and very unhappy – singletons.
Paul said: “I am honoured to present the brand new series and after speaking to Channel 5, I know the series is in safe hands.”