It was announced earlier this week that Celebs Go Dating bosses had paused filming for the upcoming Big Brother-style series of the E4 show after one of its stars tested positive for Covid-19 and it’s now been revealed that Curtis Pritchard was the mystery star who caught the virus.
Although the former Love Island star isolated for two weeks before joining the rest of the cast at the £30million Surrey mansion where they will be living during filming and didn’t show any symptoms, the show was thrown into chaos when a routine test came back positive.
The series was postponed, with Curtis and his co-stars Chloe Ferry, Wayne Lineker, Sophie Hermann, Tom Zanetti, Kimberley Hart-Simpson and Karim Zeroual all quarantining until they received the all clear.
A source told The Sun, “It’s just terrible luck for Curtis. He followed all the rules by the letter of the law, quarantined for two weeks and kept himself to himself. And he still managed to somehow pick up this virus.
“He is absolutely fine, has no symptoms and feels fit as a fiddle. But it’s put the brakes on the whole show until he gets the all-clear and everyone else continues to test negative.”
CHECK OUT Celebs Go Dating's most outrageous moments
Celebs Go Dating most outrageous moments - SLIDER use this one
The fall of Stephen Bear
After a few episodes of Stephen Bear acting as Stephen Bear-ish as it's possible to act, Nadia and Eden decided they'd had enough and chucked him out the agency. Good riddance.
Stephen Bear asks for threesome
Speaking of Stephen Bear, remember when he asked those twins for a threesome? Good lord.
Stephen Bear
Now we think about it, everything Stephen Bear did was outrageous. Poor blue lips...
Joey Essex's burpy date
Some poor old girl who managed to score a date with Joey Essex ended up burping on his face throughout the entire thing. What a nightmare.
Jonathan Cheban dates Kimmy K lookalike
This just couldn't have been more classic, could it? Things (obviously) didn't work out, and Kim Kardashian lookalike Chanelle Sadie Paul ended up having an alleged sordid affair with dating agent Eden Blackman. But that's a whole other story...
Gemma Collins stands up poor old Laurence :(
Gemma Collins successfully managed to anger the entire nation after failing to turn up to the Eurostar for her Parisian date with Laurence.
Joey Essex dates a cougar...
She wanted to dress him as a pony, for some reason.
... and Calum Best dates a cougar
He looks like he had a wonderful time.
Frankie Cocozza and Charlotte Dawson break the rules and date each other
They were the first celebrity couple to hook up with each other on the show. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. And Frankie is now happily married to someone else.
Their double date ends in awks
Both Frankie and Charlotte's dates ended up walking out of the double date set up by the agents after they couldn't stop gushing about the other.
And then MARRIED EACH OTHER
Yes, this is a real thing that actually happened and the snubbed dates, Kieran Patel and Katie Champ are still together.
Charlotte Dawson bum massage
Charlotte Dawson made an impression (of sorts) on one of her first dates by giving a bum massage in a busy pub. Not sure where that lotion came from.
Calum Best stands his date up
Calum got in hot water with the dating agents after failing to show up to one of his dates.
Gemma Collins storms out of date after he called her 'a diva'
She got up an left like a diva after he called her, er, 'a diva'. Well, she did show up about an hour late...
Charlotte Crosby spits milk during her date
Playing hot sauce roulette on a first date was never going to end well...
Jorgie Porter's date wants to see her on the loo
After telling her that he'd Googled her before the date, Jorgie's date casually mentioned he'd like to watch her on the toilet. Wow.
Courtney Stodden's date gets x-rated
Courtney Stodden shocked viewers after getting her date to rub sun cream on her chest.
Charlotte Crosby dates a massive sexist
When Charlotte told Jeavon (who also dated Love Island's Malin Andersson) that she'd slept with 20 men, he said: "that is bad, for a lad it's not that bad." Despite the fact he claimed to have slept with 50.
Joey Essex and Stephanie Pratt find love with each other
They broke the rules, but was it worth it? Erm. Probably not, no. Because it lasted about two minutes.
Ferne McCann refuses to split the bill
After ordering a frankly humungous amount of food, Ferne didn't offer to help pay the bill at the end of the date. She later burst into tears in the dating agency after the guy gave her a bad review for not doing so.
Tom Read Wilson admits he doesn't know who Kim Kardashian is
But... how?
Megan McKenna and Pete Wicks reunion
Megan and Pete had a notoriously rocky relationship on TOWIE, so putting them on the same series was a stroke of TV GENIUS.
Kerry Katona's rude date
When Kerry Katona's date implied her children had been a "mistake", she handled it like a pro – but the nation watched from between their fingers.
Jack Fincham and the Waitress
Jack Fincham was set up with a lovely girl called Carol by the agents, but admitted by the end he wasn't feeling it. Instead he got the barmaid's number, and ended up taking her to the final in Tenerife.
Jack Fincham's first date
Jack Fincham abruptly ended the date he wasn't feeling by telling his date he was "tired" and had "had enough", before demanding she finish her glass of wine en route to the door.
Jack Fincham's second date
He then got set up with an Italian called Chiara, but quickly took offense when she made a joke about one of the bartenders, calling them over and insisting she'd rather be on a date with them, instead.
Lee Ryan gets pied
Ha! Ha, ha ha.
Lady C's sexual innuendos
Just like narrator Rob Beckett said, the woman is an absolute SAUCE POT - just check out her traffic light analogy. Blimey.
Malique Thompson-Dwyer's 'predatory' flirting
After getting slammed by viewers for his 'predatory' flirting at the first mixer, Malique offended one of his dates when he was forced to date two women at the same time, and made his preference for Jakeeme clear - with Danica storming off as a result. awks.
Tom's birth affirmations
Anna Williamson is heavily pregnant in series eight and so lovable receptionist Tom devises some birth affirmations in case her waters break at work - "which could happen", points out Anna.
Amy Childs showed her deep and intellectual side...
When she asked her date, "If you were a sandwich, what would you be?"
Malique ACTUALLY fell in love!
And then immediately fell out of it the following morning, after he "had sex all night" with his date, Jakeeme. He was - quite rightfully - told off by Anna and Paul.
Liv Bentley walked out on her date
He was "late, stand-offish and entirely humourless" (fair), but his incessant talk of "pumping" was the final straw for Liv, who left halfway through (also fair).
But he was totally convinced she was into him
Despite Liv doing a runner in the middle of their drinks, self-confident Otto was still convinced Liv fancied him and accused her of making "f-ck me eyes" across the table. CRINGE.
Amy Childs' toilet 'romp' with Jamie
Does this take the biscuit for CGD's most outrageous moment? During a double date with Olivia Bentley, Amy STRADDLED her date in the restaurant before scuttling off to the toilets, returning later looking dishevelled. They claimed to have only kissed... but we weren't born yesterday, hun.
Paul Carrick Brunson QUITS
Just days after Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion came to end, love guru Paul Carrick Brunson seemingly revealed he's quit the show after a behind the scenes bust-up with one of the show's 'disrespectful' celebs. We need to know more ASAP.
But a show spokesperson has confirmed that filming is set to resume after Curtis made a full recovery.
They said, “The cast member who tested positive earlier for Covid during filming Celebs Go Dating has since tested negative on subsequent occasions.
"Having taken extensive medical advice and with the support of Public Health England they are deemed to be non-infective.
"All cast members will be tested prior to entering the house following their recent isolation. Celebs Go Dating filming will resume imminently."
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This comes just days after Curtis announced the sad news that his grandmother Angela Gratton had passed away at the age of 93.
The 24-year-old revealed that his brother AJ, who is currently starring in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, won’t be informed until he leaves the show.
“It is following our Grandad’s wishes that myself and AJ are to carry on with the current projects we are committed to,” Curtis wrote on Instagram.
“Grandad said to myself and AJ that it would break his heart for us to stop what we were doing as Nanna had such pride in our work.
“AJ therefore discussed with the family before entering the castle that if something did happen to Nanna whilst he was away, that he wouldn’t want to be told until he left the castle and that in her honour he would complete his commitment to the show, with a view to doing her and the family proud.”