Angellica Bell was sacked from The Martin Lewis Money Show Live with ‘no notice’ after taking a position at a competitor station, according to ITV officials.
A spokesman for the broadcaster stated that her relationship with Bell, 47, remained ‘amicable,’ despite the TV star’s unexpected replacement by ex-Olympian and broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye.
Bell had co-hosted the show with financial expert Martin Lewis for the previous six seasons, contributing to its TV Bafta nomination.
She did, however, accept a new job on Channel 5’s renamed successor for The Gadget Show – Shop Smart, Save Money – early this year, which producers said created a “conflict of interest.”
A source close to the show shared that staff were ‘stunned’ by the move to let former CBBC presenter Bell go, which ‘no one saw coming’.
‘Angellica has been an integral part of the show since 2017 so for her to be bumped off air with no warning is crazy.
‘Staff have naturally been talking and find the whole thing really awkward and unfair, but Martin is trying to keep out of it as it wasn’t up to him,’ they told The Sun.
The insider stated that the renaming of The Gadget Show to become a more consumer money show raised worries about ‘editorial conflicts,’ but the decision to fire Bell was out of her hands.
‘Many staff feel at the very least bosses could have given her warning or an option as to which show she wanted to continue with,’ they added.
According to the source, the Martin Lewis Money programme Live production crew was unaware of the name of Bell’s new programme until it was revealed in September, by which time the TV host had already begun filming on it.
However, ITV reps have now commented on the claims, saying in a statement: ‘Angellica is not working on the Martin Lewis Money Show Live, however, the relationship with her remains amicable and we are working with her on other forthcoming programmes.’
Fans were surprised to see Bell not appear with Lewis when the thirteenth season premiered on October 31, with one questioning the programme directly on X (previously known as Twitter): ‘Where’s the gorgeous Angelica Bell?’
‘@MartinSLewis Any calls about Angelica Bell….?’ posted another fan.
‘Wasn’t the same without @angellicabell,’ complained a separate viewer.
Bell is also a guest host on The One Show, and she won Celebrity MasterChef in 2017.
After 37 series and 19 years on the air, Channel 5 announced that The Gadget Show, as it was previously called, was no longer on the air, but that its spiritual successor would keep the same presenting team of Ortis Deley, Georgie Barrat, and Jon Bentley – and now with the addition of Bell.