TOWIE bosses have been accused of acting ‘irresponsibly’ after cruelly axing 10 young cast members ‘without warning’ despite telling newbies ‘you’ll be a star.’
The devastated group were sacked ahead of the start of the 29th series in hastily arranged meetings last month, which many wrongly believed were storyline consultations.
MailOnline can reveal the brutal cull left the cast ‘distraught’ after they were sold a dream by TV bosses and are now facing financial hardship in incredibly tough economic times.
‘They showed no remorse’: TOWIE bosses have been accused of acting ‘irresponsibly’ after cruelly axing 10 young cast members including Chloe Meadows (pictured) ‘without warning’
A talent management source told MailOnline: ‘It has been a challenging two years for most people financially, this was their career and TOWIE effectively sacked a bunch of youngsters from their jobs and for what reason?
‘There was no problem with anyone on the show, they could have given them another six months or the chance to look for other opportunities, but to just fire them all overnight was irresponsible.
‘The cast believed they were meeting producers for a catch-up ahead of filming resuming in August, so everyone was ready and excited with their updates – but without warning they were booted off the show.’
‘It was brutal’: The devastated group, which included Ella Rae Wise (pictured), were sacked ahead of the start of the 29th series in hastily arranged meetings last month
An axed cast member, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: ‘Everyone was dressed up ready to meet the new executives to talk about their storylines because that’s what we were told but it turned out to be a completely different conversation.
‘The entire cast were phoning each other asking “am I sacked? Am I sacked?” The way it was done, they showed no remorse and didn’t take our feelings into account. It was brutal, like a massacre. Some people were really upset and crying.
‘Producers recruited a load of youngsters and thought they were going to make it work but now they’ve chucked them all off. One newbie was told “you’re going to be star” and was reassured they’d be on the next series, but it was all short-lived.’
‘Challenging’: MailOnline can reveal the brutal cull left the cast ‘distraught’ after they were sold a dream by TV bosses and are now facing financial hardship in tough economic times (pictured: Courtney Green)
Axed: Last month, TOWIE confirmed future series will ‘follow a smaller group of cast members and show more of their personal passions and professions’ (pictured: Clelia Theodorou)
Last month, TOWIE confirmed future series will ‘follow a smaller group of cast members and show more of their personal passions and professions.’
In a statement posted on social media the show said: ‘Those who won’t appear on screen next series will always be part of the TOWIE family and we wholeheartedly thank them for sharing their lives with us.’
Stars including Courtney Green, 26, Chloe Meadows, 28, and Clelia Theodorou, 26, as well as Nicole Bass, 30, Kelsey Stratford, 20, and Ella Rae Wise, 21, were dropped.
Harry Lee, 26, Harry Derbidge, 27, Rem Larue, 27, and Tom McDonnell, 26, will also not be returning following the cull.
A TOWIE spokesperson said: ‘As always the welfare of past and present TOWIE cast is of paramount importance to us and we continue to offer our robust welfare and psychological support.
‘In addition to this, we are providing access to a number of advisory services to offer further support including; financial management training, social media management, career advice and life coaching.’
‘It was all short-lived’: Amber Turner (pictured far left) remains on the show, while close friends Chloe Meadows (middle) and Courtney Green (far right) have been axed in the latest cull
In 2019, TOWIE bosses cast a ‘new era’ of stars such as Ella and Kelsey to make the show more appealing to younger generations.
Chloe Brockett, 20, is now the only signing from two years ago that remains on the show alongside veterans Chloe Sims, 39, Pete Wicks, 32, and Amy Childs, 31.
A former cast member said: ‘They’re saying they want to closely follow the lives of cast but at the same time want it to be ‘high drama’ like Love Island. In truth, they don’t know what they’re doing.
Moving forward: In 2019, TOWIE bosses cast a ‘new era’ of stars such as Ella and Kelsey Stratford (pictured) to make the show more appealing to younger generations
‘The cast have been silenced by their contracts so are scared to speak about how they’ve been treated. We’re not allowed to talk about how we feel or what we’ve gone through.
‘Over the years so many people have been thrown on and off the show. Cast members aren’t allowed to be who they want to be; they’re forced to repress their personalities for the purposes of the show.
‘They want you to be who they want you to be and if you are, you’re their favourites, and you’ll get all the storylines and be involved in the drama.’
The Only Way Is Exit: Who’s getting the chop in TOWIE cull
COURTNEY GREEN
The 26-year-old star has been axed from the show, after first joining the series in 2016. She is famed for her toxic relationship with ex TOWIE co-star Myles Barnett
KELSEY STRATFORD
The 20-year-old, who joined the ITVBe series when bosses recruited a ‘younger generation’ of stars in 2019, has also been axed from the popular programme
HARRY LEE
The 26-year-old who was a semi-professional footballer, is out of the show after joining in 2019 and romancing the likes of Chloe Brockett and Frankie Sims
TOM MCDONNELL
The 26-year-old who’s close friends with Harry Lee, is also not returning to the series, after joining in 2019
ELLA RAE WISE
The 21-year-old joined TOWIE in 2019, and most recently enjoyed a ‘flirty relationship’ with Pete, to the annoyance of his ex-Chloe Sims.
CHLOE MEADOWS
The 28-year-old who joined TOWIE in 2016, will no longer be on the series. She’s famed for her friendship with Courtney, and bitter rows with on-off pal Amber Turner
CLELIA THEODOROU
The 26-year-old who’s originally from Devon, joined the series in 2018 as Dan Edgar’s love interest, but she’s now leaving the Essex drama behind, as bosses also give her the chop
HARRY DERBIDGE
The 27-year-old who’s Amy Childs’ cousin, and former original cast member, will also not be returning, after rejoining the series again in 2020
NICOLE BASS
A source close to the star, 29, who first joined the show in 2015, and returned last year, told MailOnline she is disappointed bosses have let her go
REM LARUE
The 27-year-old is the last remaining TOWIE star to be given the chop. Rem dated Clelia and was only on the show for one series
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