Olivia Attwood's New ITV Show 'The Heat' Faces Backlash Over Filming Fiasco
Olivia Attwood's latest television venture has been labelled 'a disaster' by insiders following a series of chaotic incidents during production. The 34-year-old presenter returned to screens on Tuesday night with The Heat, a new reality cooking format broadcast on digital channel ITV2.
Chaotic Filming Conditions Revealed
The show features ten aspiring chefs travelling to Barcelona to work under the guidance of multi-Michelin Star award-winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli. Under Olivia's supervision, the contestants compete against each other to become the next rising culinary star. However, the premiere episode has been overshadowed by reports of significant behind-the-scenes problems.
Insiders have revealed that production bosses struggled to attract diners to the pop-up restaurant featured in the show. Those who did attend were reportedly served only warm, alcohol-free Prosecco while waiting nearly two hours for their main courses. According to sources speaking to The Sun, shouting and screaming could be heard emanating from the kitchen throughout the service.
'The diners waited for nearly two hours for their main courses while shouting and screaming could be heard from the kitchen,' one insider disclosed. 'They didn't even have any alcohol to keep them going – just some warm non-alcoholic Prosecco.'
Kitchen Fire and Culinary Failures
The show's title proved prophetic when the restaurant had to be evacuated mid-competition due to a small, contained fire in the kitchen. Although the blaze was quickly brought under control, filming schedules were reportedly disrupted as a result. Trailers for the series have already shown footage of the evacuation incident.
Further culinary mishaps included lukewarm starters and a traditional Spanish omelette served without its essential potato ingredient. These failures reportedly left chef Jean-Christophe Novelli furious with the head chef he had placed in charge of the kitchen. Sources claim Novelli ordered the head chef to 'leave the premises' and refused to shake his hand in a dramatic confrontation.
Olivia's Professional Focus Amid Personal Challenges
Olivia Attwood celebrated the show's launch in style, wearing a striking red floral minidress with pointed heels and accessorising with a red Chanel handbag. The former Love Island star has been dedicating herself to work following the breakdown of her marriage to footballer Bradley Dack earlier this year.
The couple split after three years together, with sources suggesting the marriage ended after Dack 'breached her trust.' Despite her personal challenges, Olivia has maintained a strong professional focus. During a recent social media Q&A, she revealed: 'I have worked too hard for too long to let my professional life suffer. Been a lot of slapping myself round the face and gritting my teeth.'
Daily Mail has contacted ITV for comment regarding the reported production issues. The network has yet to respond publicly to the allegations of filming chaos surrounding The Heat, which represents Olivia Attwood's latest television project following her reality television success.
