Mark Wright responds to 'nonsense' claim he's blacklisted by ITV after quitting show

Mark Wright has dismissed claims he has been blacklisted by ITV as "a nonsense story" and denied quitting a reality show job via a text message.

It was reported last month that Wright was subject to an ITV ban after making an eleventh hour decision to step away from new reality show The Games.

Read more: Mark Wright has tumour removed amid cancer scare

Fronted by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff, the show will see celebrities put through a series of sporting events in order to try to top the medal table.

The 35-year-old former TOWIE star told his 1.8 million Instagram followers that the rumours were not true and that his exit from The Games was entirely above board.

Watch: Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan launch fashion brand

He said: "Refrained from commenting on this nonsense story for over a week because it's nonsense and there's plenty much more important stories to worry about in the world.

"Because it's constantly being repeated, here's my comment. I'm absolutely not banned from ITV, in fact I'm doing a show for ITV three months from now.

Read more: Wright reveals how he and Keegan make it work despite time apart

"The show that 'I quit' hadn't even signed a contract for. I 'called' the producer not text to tell her I'd had a change of heart on the show because I realised I'd had too many other commitments already to make it work."

Wright added that he did not blame the news outlet that broke the story, saying: "They can only believe what the person who is making this up is telling them".

Mark Wright rose to fame as part of the original cast of The Only Way Is Essex and subsequently appeared on shows including I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here and Strictly Come Dancing.

He has since worked as a presenter on TV and radio, currently fronting a regular Saturday evening show on Heart.

Read more: Mark Wright criticised over choice of Halloween costume

A regular competitor in the annual Soccer Aid event, Wright made a full-time return to his former career as a footballer in 2020, playing just a handful of times for League Two side Crawley Town.

Wright has been married to Coronation Street and Our Girl actor Michelle Keegan since 2015.

Watch: Mark Wright given all-clear after tumour is removed