Huge ITV show suspended after bosses fail to recruit celebrities for filming in time

A major ITV show will no longer return to screens this year after bosses failed to recruit celebrities in time for filming.

The Real Full Monty featured two groups of stars – one female and one male – stripping off in front of a theater audience in an attempt to raise money for cancer.

The groups would take to the stage in front of 2,000 people at the London Palladium, baring everyone at the end of the racy performance.

As they strip naked, they share more about cancer and continue to monitor themselves to raise awareness of the disease.

But the charity series appears not to have attracted enough talent, forcing bosses to shelve it until 2025.

A major ITV show was not renewed after bosses failed to recruit celebrities in time for filming

The Real Full Monty featured two groups of people – one female and one male – as they stripped naked in front of a theater audience in an attempt to raise as many cancer donations as possible (pictured the cast of the 2023 Christmas special)

Ashley Banjo became a regular and brought his choreographic skills to the stage – while the likes of Coleen Nolan, Gemma Collins, Linda Lusardi, Pete Wicks, James Jordan and Christine McGuinness all appeared in the show.

“Getting celebrities to take off all their clothes in front of not just a live audience, but in front of millions more thanks to the cameras, is no easy task,” a source told The Mirror.

“Even Coleen Nolan, who has been involved for years, has spoken about how absolutely terrifying she finds it.

‘So the decision was made to give it a break. That doesn’t mean it will never come back, but there are no plans in the pipeline at the moment.’

Meanwhile, an ITV spokesperson confirmed the news, saying: ‘The Real Full Monty has taken on a number of guises in recent years, from the original all-male line-up to an on-ice version, to raise cancer awareness. This year we are putting the format to rest.’

However, according to ITV bosses, it doesn’t look like the show will grab attention anytime soon, but rather has been temporarily shelved.

During last year’s Christmas special, fans greeted the ‘inspirational’ celebrities, with host duo Ashley Banjo and Coleen Nolan returning to take the group of brave celebrities by the hand and put them to the test.

Pete Wicks appeared in the Christmas special of The Real Full Monty, alongside a host of other stars including Gemma Collins, Julia Bradbury and Ben Cohen.

“Getting celebrities to take off all their clothes in front of not just a live audience, but in front of millions more thanks to the cameras, is no easy task,” a source told The Mirror.

“Even Coleen Nolan, who has been involved for many years, has spoken about how absolutely terrifying she finds it,” the source added (Coleen Nola shot on the show last year)

The show features two groups of famous people – men and women – stripping in front of a theater audience at the London Palladium

An ITV spokesperson confirmed: ‘We are resting the format this year’ (photo of last year’s cast)

Vanessa Bauer, Paul Burrell and Ashley Cain, along with other stars, took off their clothes to raise awareness for life-saving cancer checks.

In addition to following the celebrities as they overcome their fears and insecurities about performing and baring it all, the show will reveal the deeply personal and important reasons why each person has decided to take part in raising cancer awareness.

TV presenter Julia, 53, revealed in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and later underwent a single mastectomy to have a 6cm tumor removed.

Former royal butler Paul Burrell, 65, was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and is currently undergoing treatment.

Also joining the line-up were footballer and TV personality Ashley Cain, 32, who tragically lost his daughter to cancer.

Azaylia died when she lost her battle with acute myeloid leukemia in April 2021, when she was just eight months old.

Former England rugby international Ben Cohen, 44, also joined in to support his ex-wife Abby – who he divorced in 2016 after 11 years of marriage.

Last month, Abby revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer and shared photos of herself in the hospital after surgery to install an ostomy bag.

During last year’s Christmas special, fans greeted ‘inspirational’ celebrities (Pete Wicks photo)

Julia Bradbury, Pete Wicks, Vanessa BauerBen Cohen, Colleen Nolan, Nick Collier, Victoria Ekanoye, Gemma Collins and Paul Burrell all stripped down for the promotional photos

The show also reveals the deeply personal and important reasons why each person has decided to take part in raising awareness about cancer in intimate areas of the body (Gemma Collins pictured on the show)

TOWIE star Gemma previously spoke to MailOnline about what it was like to strip off for the ITV show.

After overcoming an awkward first encounter with other celebrities, Gemma said she has embraced her naked self.

When asked if she would like to strip naked again, she told MailOnline: ‘It has to be for a good cause that other people can benefit from.

‘But otherwise Playboy should pay me a few million. If they want to call, then you know, who knows? I could do Playboy.