Love Island star lands huge Netflix gig – before they’ve even left the villa
JOEY ESSEX’s reality TV reign won’t end with his current stint on Love Island as his next project is already in the can.
I can reveal the former Towie lad will appear on the next series of Netflix real estate show Selling Sunset.
And it’s a good fit for Joey, who has made his millions through property investments.
A source said: “Joey might have a reputation as a bit of a dimwit but he’s not lacking in street smarts.
“He has become a very rich man through property and savvy investments.
“His cousin Chloe Sims is now based in Los Angeles, and Joey was thinking about investing in a pad for himself, which is how the Selling Sunset gig came about.
“On the next series viewers will see Joey tour a megabucks property as part of his hunt for a base across the pond.
“It also means he’s added another huge reality show to his list — his first for Netflix — which opens up a whole new world of opportunity.”
Viewers are currently watching single Joey look for The One on ITV2’s Love Island.
His quest for romance took a peculiar turn when his ex Grace Jackson walked into the villa.
Joey is now thought to be worth £8million after first shooting to fame in 2011 on the second series of The Only Way Is Essex.
His biggest asset is his mega-mansion in Chigwell, which he bought for £1.6million in 2014.
Last year, he rented it out at £13,000 a month when he relocated to Dubai after his last TV gig — ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
But presumably he’ll be reclaiming it when he returns from Love Island.
Rob’s driving seat
HERE is a first look at Robert Glenister, back on screens in a chilling new role for Channel 5’s latest gritty drama.
The actor – best known as bad guy MP Nicholas Blake in Spooks – plays a taxi driver with a past.
Cabbie Tony was once a respected science teacher but lost his job and marriage under suspicious circumstances.
It leaves him with few friends, bar the late host of NightTalk Radio.
Tony feels an immediate bond with the vitriolic presenter, Lawrence Brightway (Sean Pertwee) who seems to tap into his sense of injustice.
And as the four-part drama unravels, he starts to interpret the station’s inflammatory world view in a very dangerous way.
Tune in from Sunday at 9pm.
Ken eyes William for quiz
KEN BRUCE’s PopMaster radio quiz is a national institution, so he didn’t struggle to find volunteers for the celebrity specials of the TV version last month.
But he might have set his hopes a little too high for the next round.
Fresh from winning three gongs at last week’s Tric Awards, Ken told me: “Prince William would do, but he’ll have to pass the audition.”
Surely that’d be no problem after the future King proved his pop credentials by going to see Taylor Swift at Wembley?
Ken laughed and said: “I can’t guarantee the questions!
“The celeb version worked well because they didn’t come on and try to just joke their way through it. They actually wanted to win.
“I haven’t heard yet about another series, but we do hope to do a third.”
Rylan's big opportunity
RYLAN CLARK has revealed he landed his 2013 spot on Celebrity Big Brother while still taking part in The X Factor.
He said on the Great Company podcast: “ I thought if I go next week, I’m going in Big Brother. But by week eight I still hadn’t left and they were like, you need to f***ing leave.”
Wendi’s bucket list act
WHILE some wish to be a Bond girl, a movie villain or join a superhero franchise, former Coronation Street star Wendi Peters wants to reboot a role closer to home.
The actress who played Cilla Battersby-Brown in the soap says the BBC needs to bring back Keeping Up Appearances – with her following in Patricia Routledge’s footsteps as hoity-toity lead Hyacinth Bucket.
Hyacinth insisted her surname was pronouced “bouquet”, in the sitcom which ran from 1990 to 1995.
Wendi, who is currently on tour with Sister Act The Musical, said: “I have never done a sitcom, I would love to do a comedy because there is nothing I love more.
“I would love to do Keeping Up Appearances, my comedy hero is Patricia.”
Traitor chat to top it all
GETTING recognised in public is part and parcel of rising to fame through reality telly.
But spare a thought for The Traitors’ Andrew Jenkins, who has revealed he is recognised with his clothes OFF thanks to his appearance on the hit BBC One programme.
Viewers loved the tongue-in-cheek scenes on the show where the personal trainer worked out topless in his hotel room.
Chatting about fans’ reactions, Andrew said: “I was changing at my local gym and a man in his fifties stood next to me, totally naked, and he talked to me – I got recognised.
“I was sat down so my head was by his waist. it was a bit awkward.”
That’s another valid reason to avoid the gym in my book.
Last Leg election special
ADAM HILLS, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker will host an election special of The Last Leg on Friday night.
For two hours from 10pm on Channel 4 the gang will examine and explain Thursday’s result with their usual healthy dose of acerbic wit and unique sketches.
Vicky’s wedding fever
FILMING has stalled on Vicky Pattinson’s new reality series after she ended up in hospital.
The Geordie Shore star and I’m A Celebrity winner is documenting the run-up to her Italian wedding to fiance Ercan Ramadan for E4 and last month celebrated her hen do in Dubai.
But yesterday she revealed she was fighting glandular fever and a throat abscess.
Posting snaps from her hospital bed, she wrote: “I haven’t allowed myself any downtime this year, I have burnt the candle at both ends, worked a punishing schedule and ignored all signs that my body was desperate for a break.
“This has been the wake up call I needed but I’m angry with myself I let it go this far. I’ll be in hospital for a while and I think it’s for the best.”
E4 announced Vicky Pattison: Destination Wedding last week, with the big day set for September.