Towie’s big Bali trip in chaos as THREE major stars skip filming amid cast money row
THE Only Way Is Essex’s huge cast trip to Bali could be derailed amid an ongoing cast money row.
ITVBe bosses were hoping to whisk the cast away on a luxury trip overseas for the filming of the upcoming series but it appears they have been dealt a headache after THREE stars pulled out of filming.
The Sun can reveal that Junaid Ahmed, Chloe Brockett and Amy Childs will not be jetting off to Bali as hoped.
It is understood that Junaid has landed a big money deal with a skincare brand that he has opted to focus on in the UK whilst Amy has been left concerned about being away from her children for an extended period of time.
Whilst Junaid and Amy have backed out of the trip of their own accord, it still remains to be seen whether Chloe will be back at all after being suspended from the show for fighting last year.
A source said of the Bali trip: “Things are still really up in the air about which cast are going to Bali.
“It was going to be the show’s biggest ever trip to kick off the series but Junaid has landed a huge skincare deal with a big brand so has dropped out, Amy doesn’t want to be away from her kids for that long and Chloe B – well, nobody is sure if she’s going back to the show or if she’ll be in Celeb Big Brother then.”
Rumours have been circulating that Chloe could be snapped up by the revival of Celebrity Big Brother after her reality TV career was left hanging in the balance.
A source previously told The Sun that show chiefs believed the 23 year old star could bring the drama into the house.
Over the years, the Towie cast have been transported to an array of luxury destinations across the globe.
Last year, they enjoyed a break away in Thailand as well as having visited Marbella and Tenerife in the past.
The latest blow to the upcoming series comes just a month after we revealed how three show legends had been locked in a dispute with show bosses about their future on the programme and had even threatened to quit if their demands were not met.
An insider revealed at the time: “The future of three Towie legends is up in the air after the trio have been locked in a pay dispute with bosses.
“They feel like they deserve a salary hike to reflect what they bring to the show as they have all been on the show for some time and they don’t believe what they are getting is enough.
“Nobody wants to leave, but these stars are considering all their options and won’t be afraid to walk away if bosses refuse to negotiate.
“Hopefully it can all be rectified, but if an agreement isn’t reached, the show could be several cast members short when filming resumes in March.”
Cast members of the show are known to have been put into four pay bands based on their popularity which ranges from newcomers on £90 an episode as well as bigger names securing £450.
Saffron Lempriere previously spoke about the show’s pay structure on Vicky Pattison‘s The Secret To podcast.
She said, “The longer you’re there, the better you’re paid. It’s like a tier system and I think it’s a fair way of doing it.
“Obviously, when you get to the top, though, there’s nowhere to climb so then there’s discussions. But, yeah, they were paid bad back in the day. It’s true.”
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