Rylan Clark-Neal has admitted he’s “gutted” he couldn’t get Dale Winton’s blessing to take over on Supermarket Sweep.
The iconic gameshow originally ran in the 1990s, with Dale proving a hit with viewers as its frontman.
He returned to host a revival in 2007, which ran for one series.
Now ITV2 is bringing back the format once again – over a year after Dale sadly passed away.
This of course means it will have a new presenter, in former Big Brother star Rylan Clark-Neal.
But while Rylan believes he “was born for” the job, he did have one regret in taking it.
The new store manager told The Sun about his sadness at not being able to ask Dale for his approval.
“The most gutting thing when Dale died was I never had the opportunity to ask him about it,” he said.
“Every job I’ve inherited, like Strictly’s It Takes Two and the radio show with Zoe Ball or Big Brother with Emma Willis, I’ll always ring them first and say, ‘Are you OK with me doing it?’
“Genuinely, if they said no, I wouldn’t have taken the show.”
Rylan is adamant that Dale would be back under different circumstances.
“If Dale was still around, he’d be doing it, as it’s his show,” he added. “He is probably the toughest act I’ve ever had to follow.”
While Rylan wasn’t able to get in touch with Dale, he has ensured Supermarket Sweep’s latest incarnation will acknowledge his legacy.
The former X Factor contestants asked bosses to include a tribute to his predecessor on the set.
“One of the big things when I agreed to do the job was that I wanted to have a nod to Dale, somewhere in the supermarket which we’ve managed,” he recently revealed.
Rylan will not be alone on the new series, with Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine acting as voice of the tannoy.
Supermarket Sweep returns on Monday 9th September at 8.00pm on ITV2.
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