Last month it was revealed there was going to be a huge TOWIE shake up as show bosses reportedly decided to axe 10 stars.
Series regulars such as Chloe Lewis insisted they had always planned to leave, but for some others the move is said to have come as a complete surprise.
But it looks like the remaining cast members are also in for a huge shock, because a slew of hot new recruits are believed to have joined the show.
According to The Sun, the new stars are currently being kept separate from the series regulars.
A source told the publication: “A new group of 18-year old boys and girls have joined the cast. They have already filmed their scenes in Essex and at the moment bosses are keeping the two groups separate.
“TOWIE producers want the new signings to settle in their own right and form their own relationships before being integrated with the rest of the cast.”
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The source added that they are all “super hot”, have big social media followings and are already well known in the Essex scene.
“They are already keeping the old cast members on their toes following the big cull,” they said.
As well as Chloe Lewis, the likes of Chris Clark, James Locke, Myles Barnett, Kady McDermott, Deal Ralph, Yazmin Oukhellou are all said to have left the show.
Commenting on the cast cull, former TOWIE star Charlie King said it was definitely needed.
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He explained: “A show that’s been on as long as TOWIE needs a refresh every now and again as characters tend to run out of steam and have very little to say or do and end up fading into the background.”
Charlie, now a full time personal trainer, said they need to hire people who are really memorable rather than just clones.
“There been so many new faces over the past couple of years that it’s hard to tell sometimes one from the other… And that’s the problem,” he added to Forbes.
“TOWIE has lost its true characters, the unique ones who we fall in love with and who make us laugh.”
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