CHRIS Hughes has made a Celebs Go Dating U-turn and revealed he WON'T be taking part in the new series.
The reality star, 32, had originally signed up for the E4 dating show before his stint on Celebrity Big Brother.
But upon reflection and discussions with show bosses and his team, Chris has decided to pull out last minute following an "intense" three week period on CBB.
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."
Chris, who grew close to CBB housemate JoJo Siwa while in the house, was set to be a latecomer after model Christine McGuinness quit the show.
Despite turning down the opportunity, Chris could be welcomed back next year to feature on the show in a bid to find love.
"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.
While an insider said: "Rumours behind the scenes are that his fledgling relationship with Jojo has made him feel going on a dating show would be a bad move."
Chris had been lined to fill the space after Christine's unexpected exit.
He was set to be sensational signing for the show as his relationship with Jojo was one of the biggest talking points of the series which aired last month on ITV1.
A TV insider said at the time: "This is set to be a great coup for Celebs Go Dating.
"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."
If Chris had taken part on Celebs Go Dating, it would have come just a week after his exit from Celebrity Big Brother, where he came sixth
'SOULMATE' FRIENDSHIP
On Monday, Chris and JoJo appeared on ITV's This Morning, where he labelled his connection with JoJo a "soulmate friendship".
The pair joined hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard to discuss their time on the show.
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.
Chris told the hosts that he and JoJo share a "really strong bond".
He said: "Our friendship, it's hard to explain... it's just a really strong bond between two people, it's just a strong friendship.
"I think you can have a soulmate friendship, that's the thing.
"To me, it's that energy when it's not the standard friendship you have with your friends, but it's still a friendship, we are friends.
"It's nice, I found it strange because it was such a strong friendship.
"Having someone in there to go through an experience like that and have someone there everyday when you're emotional, when you're happy... that was beautiful, that was genuinely an amazing thing."
Ben then grilled the pair and asked if it was just "platonic" or if it could develop into something "romantic".
JoJo laughed and said: "He's a gorgeous boy, look, he's a great guy, it is platonic, we have a lot of fun together.
"Life is life and I don't know any future of anything but I'm really grateful for the dynamic that we have and the bond that we have.
"Whatever life does, life will do."
