ITV has ditched its entertainment show The Real Full Monty, with insiders claiming it was becoming increasingly hard to find celebrities who were brave enough to get naked.
The show, which launched with a men-only version in 2017 with the aim of raising awareness, introduced women the following year in order to also highlight the female cancers.
Since then there have been many themed versions, including one based on Strictly Come Dancing, another based on Dancing on Ice and the most recent one having a festive theme.
But finding stars willing to strip off in public has proved tricky, and the decision has been taken to rest the show for 2024. Last year it aired in December and featured the likes of Julia Bradbury, Paul Burrell and Gemma Collins.
Dance expert Ashley Banjo has appeared in all of the shows to coach the famous recruits and choreograph the routines. The former Britain’s Got Talent star, 35, was drafted in from the outset to help create the live theatre extravaganza inspired by the hit 1997 film set in Sheffield.
One source said: “Getting celebrities to agree to take off all their clothes in front of not only a live audience, but millions more thanks to the cameras, is no small task.
“Even Coleen Nolan, who has been involved for many years, has told how absolutely terrifying she finds it. So the decision has been made to give it a break. It does not mean it will never come back, but there are no plans in the pipeline at this point.”
In the show the strip-tease performance always ends with a grand finale in which the stars whip off their last remaining piece of underwear as the crowd whoops and cheers. The feature-length specials also contain the celebrities’ personal stories of how cancer has impacted their lives.
Many who have taken part over the years have suffered the disease themselves, or had family or close friends who were affected. They include Alexander Armstrong, Victoria Derbyshire, Martina Navratilova, Colin Jackson, Brenda Edwards and Joe Pasquale.
An ITV spokesperson confirmed: “The Real Full Monty has taken a number of guises over the past few years from the original men-only line-up, to a version on ice, in order to raise awareness around cancer. We are resting the format this year.”
One insider said there was no current plan for the programme to return next year, but added: “We are always open to new ideas for The Real Full Monty.”
Speaking ahead of her first strip for the programme six years ago, Loose Women favourite Coleen said: “I’m terrified about what I’ve let myself in for, considering I won’t even wear a bikini on the beach let alone get my kit off in front of 2500 people and millions at home, but getting women to talk about breast cancer checks is way more important than any body hang-ups or nerves I’ve got.
“We are determined to give the audience a show they will never forget and hopefully raise awareness that could help save lives.”
ITV’s decision to give the UK version a break comes just a few months after the format was picked up in the US by Fox. It has previously been sold to countries including Australia, France and the Netherlands.
Speaking in March, Daniela Neumann of producer Spun Gold TV said: “The Real Full Monty has been a huge success, not just in the UK but worldwide, and more importantly has led to thousands and thousands of people going for potentially life-saving check-ups.”
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