Davina McCall has stepped down as the host of 'Changing Rooms'.

Davina McCall

Davina McCall

The 53-year-old television presenter was hoping to front the reboot of the popular 90s lifestyle show but she has been forced to pull out due to clashes with her existing work schedule.

A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "Davina was so excited to be part of the reboot but with the changing production schedule, it has become a nightmare. Filming was supposed to take place at the end of last year but it got moved until earlier this year. And now it’s been pushed back again. The lockdown and pandemic have played havoc with the schedule and sadly Davina has said she won’t be able to commit. It’s the last thing anyone wanted but she is so busy with other filming commitments. Everyone on Changing Rooms is gutted as getting Davina on board was a huge coup for the reboot."

Meanwhile, the programme - which originally aired on BBC - is set for a comeback on Channel 4, with bosses said to be keen to bring back interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

A source said this week: "'Changing Rooms' was something of a phenomenon, spawning a long line of copycat makeover shows and it still retains a cult following. Not only did it spawn a long line of copycat makeover shows, it still retains a cult following among a whole generation of fans. C4 execs would like to tap back into some of that telly magic and exploit the current nostalgia for bygone shows."

And Laurence believes the show will help to reboot the economy.

He said: "We went into lockdown obsessed with our beige, cookie cutter rooms that were going to look great in an estate agent window. We came out of it thinking, 'I don’t want to see another beige room for as long as I can live'. If you put yourself up a nice wallpaper with plenty of swirling birds and monkeys, palm trees, and tropical flowers, you are in the middle of a storybook."

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