Mark Wright has said that he was devastated to learn that he had been passed up for a job that was instead offered to Freddie Flintoff.
The 36-year-old TV personality began his career as a semi-professional footballer before participating on The Only Way is Essex for the first three seasons.
He later appeared in the eleventh season of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, where he finished second, and the twelfth series of Strictly Come Dancing, where he finished fourth.
He’s hosted a number of other shows and has recently expressed a goal to “crack America.”
Speaking to former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews on his Big Fish podcast, Mark said he was unsure if he was driven by ‘arrogance or confidence’, which was all unfolded after losing a gig.
‘I lost a job here in the UK and it pissed me off. I was waiting for it for so long,’ he said.
‘It was a big Saturday night television show, presenting it, and I’d been waiting for it for about five, six years, by this point I was owed it. It was my job.
‘It was on the table, and it got taken away from me five days before and given to someone else because this big star wanted the job, Freddie Flintoff. So he got it.’
He added: ‘By then I was just fed up of waiting, kissing arse, screen tests. I went, “you know what, I’ve had it, I’m going to make a point. I’m going to America”.’
‘Michelle said, “just do it. I know what you’re like, you’re so resilient, and you’re not going to fail”.’
Mark relocated to the United States in 2017, where he worked on shows such as EXTRA for three years before returning to the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, former international cricketer Freddie has presented programmes such as Cannonball and Australian Ninja Warrior before being named one of Top Gear’s new hosts in 2018.
Mark paid homage to his wife earlier this year ahead of the launching of her new show, Ten Pound Poms, after detailing how she encouraged him to make the big move.
Sharing a selfie of the two in Sydney last year in May, Mark wrote that his ‘incredibly, talented, hardworking special little wife of mine spent 5 months last year working her but off, filming’.
He added he was ‘bloody excited and proud’ to tune in.
Listen to the full interview on the Big Fish with Spencer Matthews podcast on Global Player now.
