I WANT TO MAKE CAROLINE PROUD
OLLY ON RETURN AS HOST
EXCLUSIVE
OLLY Murs is set to host a Saturday night TV show for the first time in seven years and says: “I’ll make Caroline Flack proud.”
He says Caroline, his X Factor co-presenter in 2015, taught him how to make a better job of the role.
The former Love Island host took her own life in February 2020.
Olly – who will front new ITV singing show Starstruck – said: “I wouldn’t be the presenter I am without Caroline.
She was the real deal.
“People didn’t give her enough credit. In my early days doing
TV, I needed Caroline next to me.
“I learned so much.
She 100% made me the presenter I am today and I’ll continue to do her justice and do her proud.”
Similar to Stars in Their Eyes, his Saturday night contest will have teams of three who all share the same musical idol, dressing as them and performing their hits together.
Each trio will then try to make it through to snap up a £50,000 prize.
They will sing in front a panel of judges – Sheridan Smith, Beverley Knight, Adam Lambert and Jason Manford – and a virtual audience.
Olly, 37, said: “The last time I did a Saturday night TV show was with
Caroline and it wasn’t something I wanted to do any more.
“I wanted just to continue singing and then I went into judging.
“So it was a big moment for me. I did the pilot and it felt very strange. It felt weird for me to be on my own hosting a show.
“I was thinking about her and what we’d normally do. We’d have a joke or two, or dance and have a laugh together and try not be so serious. God bless Caroline – I love her and miss her every day.”
Olly, who faced criticism over his presenting skills on X Factor, said: “I was very inexperienced, I was put in at the deep end.
“I’ll probably make a mistake again in the future but I’m not scared of that – it happens.”
The singer, who has been dating bodybuilder Amelia Tank, 37, since 2019, admits there will be comparisons between his new show and Stars in Their Eyes – but says Starstruck “is just three times the fun”.
He said: “You’re getting three times the Elton Johns on stage, you’re getting the judges, dancers – it’s just bigger and better.”
And he says it has none of the negativity of some shows.
“There’s different stakes. The judges are all in it together. It’s actually refreshing to be on a show where there’s no negative vibes.”
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