Mark Wright allegedly had a fling with a Take Me Out contestant.
The Take Me Out: The Gossip presenter slept with 27-year-old Natalie Hawker after they met in her hometown of Bristol in February 2012, The Sun reports.
Hawker claimed that the pair had sex after Wright picked her up from Faces nightclub in Essex a week later. They then kept in touch for seven months with texts and calls.
However, when the Bristolian appeared on the ITV dating show and was interviewed on its companion programme The Gossip, Wright urged her to keep quiet about their relationship.
She said: "He was scared. It was ridiculous. He would be introduced to me by the crew as a stranger when the fact was I had already ripped his pants off.
"The first time he even knew I was on the show was when we met on set. I didn't say anything and neither did he. But for three episodes of The Gossip he interviewed me like we were strangers. Afterwards he would text me begging me not to say a word.
"He said his producers had grilled him about whether or not we had slept together. He said he'd told them 'No' and I'd have to do the same."
The 27-year-old claimed that she realised Wright did not want a serious relationship and decided to apply for Take Me Out. She said: "He was only after one thing. It was fun for a while but I soon realised he was using me."
Wright is currently dating Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan. Hawker added: "I must have been mad thinking he would want a normal relationship. He loves himself and the idea of fame, so being with a soap star will suit him for now."
A spokeswoman for Take Me Out told the newspaper that producers were aware Wright and Hawker had met before but did not know the nature of their relationship. A representative for Wright declined to comment.
Last week, another former contestant criticised the Paddy McGuinness-fronted show for making her feel "bullied" into selecting a date.
