Mark Charles Edward Wright (born 20 January 1987) is an English television personality,

entertainment reporter Entertainment journalism is any form of journalism that focuses on popular culture and the entertainment business and its products. Like fashion journalism, entertainment journalism covers industry-specific news while targeting general audiences be ...

, and former professional footballer who last played for side

Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...

. He is best known for appearing as a cast member on the first three series of ''

The Only Way Is Essex ''The Only Way Is Essex'' (often abbreviated as ''TOWIE'' ) is a British reality television series based in Brentwood, Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way." Broadcast on ...

.'' Wright gained more popularity after appearing on the eleventh series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' where he finished as runner-up, and the twelfth series of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'', where he finished in fourth place. He is also a current presenter on

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

's Saturday afternoon slot.

Career

Football

Before his appearances on ''The Only Way Is Essex'', Wright was a semi-professional footballer, with a youth career at

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, and

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. He started his senior career with

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...

, but moved into nightclub promoting and playing only non-league. In November 2006, he was loaned from

Grays Athletic Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Chadfields in nearby Tilbury. History The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former ...

to fellow

Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...

side

. On 27 January 2007, he scored the only goal of a 1–0 win at Tamworth. In March that year, he was loaned to

Rushden & Diamonds Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town F.C., Ket ...

for the rest of the season. Wright played once for the

England national football C team The England national football C team (previously known as the England National Game XI and the England Semi-Pro national team) are the football teams that represent England at non-League level. Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it f ...

, playing in a defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina B on 16 September 2008. In January 2012, it was reported that he rekindled his semi-professional footballing career, by signing for St Neots Town, but this was denied by Wright on his Twitter account. Wright made his return to professional football at the age of 33 on 14 December 2020, signing for League Two side

on a non-contract basis. He started his return in the third round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, coming on as a 90th minute substitute as Crawley won 3–0 against

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

on 10 January 2021. His brother,

Josh Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to: People A–J *Big Josh, stage name for America ...

, also played in the match, having signed for Crawley in January 2021. Wright made his League Two debut against Harrogate Town on 6 February, and was substituted at half time in a 3–1 home loss. He was released by Crawley at the end of the 2020–21 season.

Television

In October 2010, Wright was one of the original cast members in the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

reality programme ''

The Only Way is Essex ''The Only Way Is Essex'' (often abbreviated as ''TOWIE'' ) is a British reality television series based in Brentwood, Essex, England. It shows "real people in modified situations, saying unscripted lines but in a structured way." Broadcast on ...

''. He announced his departure from the show on 23 October 2011, near the end of the third series. He later returned for a cameo appearance in the sixth series and also, for the 2012 Christmas special. He briefly returned again in 2014 and again in 2016. In November 2011, Wright took part in the eleventh series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. He was the runner-up, losing to

McFly McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...

bassist

Dougie Poynter Dougie Lee Poynter (born 30 November 1987) is an English musician, songwriter, fashion model, aspiring clothing designer and children's author. He is the bassist of the pop rock band McFly. He won the eleventh series of the ITV reality series ...

. From January 2012 until 2017, Wright and Laura Jackson co-presented the ''

Take Me Out A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each ...

'' spin-off programme '' Take Me Out: The Gossip'' for

ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the fiv ...

Zoe Hardman Zoe Kristina Hardman (born 16 November 1982) is a British radio and television presenter. She first appeared on TV in Channel 4's reality game show ''Playing It Straight'' in 2005. Career Hardman was born in Kent, England. She was a presenter ...

previously hosted with Wright. The series did not air in 2018. He also appeared as a fitness expert on the

ITV Breakfast ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited (previously known as ''GMTV, GMTV Limited'') is the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc in November ...

programme '' Daybreak'' for two weeks, to front its mini series ''Downsize in Dubai''. From 20 June to 7 July 2012, Wright presented and starred in a new

show, titled '' Mark Wright's Hollywood Nights''. It was later dropped after one series. He was due to co-present with

Melanie Sykes Melanie Ann Sykes (born 1970) is an English former television and radio presenter. She is best known for co-hosting '' Today with Des and Mel'' with Des O'Connor and '' Let's Do Lunch'' with Gino D'Acampo. She also co-hosted ''Going Out with Ala ...

on a new entertainment series named ''My Man Can''. After filming one series,

made the decision not to air the show. Since 2013, Wright was a reporter on the

series '' Surprise Surprise''. In 2014, Wright fronted his own

reality show entitled ''Party Wright Around The World''. In 2014, Wright was one of the celebrities competing in the twelfth series of ''

''. He was paired up with professional dancer

Karen Hauer Karen Hauer (formerly Clifton; born 20 April 1982) is a Venezuelan-American professional Latin dance specialist and World Mambo Champion, best known for her appearances on the British television series ''Strictly Come Dancing''. She is currently ...

. The couple made into the final in which they came fourth. Wright also presented ''

The Dengineers ''The Dengineers'' is a British children's television series which airs on CBBC and sees the production team (styled as 'dengineers') design themed dens or play houses for children. There have been seven series aired to date, with the most rece ...

'' with

Lauren Layfield Lauren Layfield (born 1 December 1987) is an English television and radio presenter and journalist who has worked for CBBC, Capital FM and Radio 1. Career Layfield studied and graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Engl ...

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

from 2015 until 2017. He left at the end of the second series and was replaced by

Joe Tracini Joe Tracini (born Joe James Pasquale; 19 July 1988) is an English actor, presenter and author. He appeared in the role of Dennis Savage in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. His previous TV acting credits have included the BBC Three comedy ...

. In December 2016, Wright made an appearance on an episode of E!'s ''The Royals'' (season 3, episode 1). Wright presented on the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

entertainment news programme ''

EXTRA Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

'' by

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American film studio, filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and th ...

from 2017 to 2020. Wright presents series 6 of Channel 5's '' The Bachelor'', based on the US television show of the same name. On 5 July 2019, Wright guest presented ''

This Morning This Morning may refer to: * ''This Morning'' (TV programme), a British daytime television programme * ''This Morning'' (radio program), a Canadian radio show which aired from 1997 to 2002 * ''CBS This Morning'', an American morning show, succes ...

'' with

Rochelle Humes Rochelle Eulah Eileen Humes (née Wiseman; born 21 March 1989) is an English singer and television presenter. Humes began her career in the pop groups S Club Juniors and The Saturdays, and has gone on to co-present the ITV (TV channel), ITV ente ...

. Wright starred in the BBC programme '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' in September 2019. In January 2021, Wright featured in a BBC iPlayer mini-series, ''Mark Wright: The Last Chance'', about his efforts to revive his professional football career with Crawley Town.

Radio

Since 24 December 2012, Wright has presented the "Club Classics" show every Friday and Saturday evening on

, between 7pm and 9pm. He left in December 2017 when he moved to the United States, and returned to the station in July 2019. In March 2020, after the defection of

Sian Welby Sian or Siyan may refer to: __NOTOC__ People *Siân, a Welsh girl's name; list of people with this name Places * Sian, Iran (disambiguation), various places in Iran, Iraq and Balochistan * Sian, Russia, a rural locality in Amur Oblast, Russia *Xi' ...

to Capital FM, he took up the Monday to Thursday evening slot at the station. In December 2021, he left the Monday-Thursday evening slot with

Dev Griffin Devin Joseph Jordan Griffin (born 23 December 1984) is a British radio presenter, DJ and actor, who is most commonly known for presenting Heart's evening show since January 2022 and Heart's Feel Good Weekend since January 2021. He is also know ...

taking over at the start of the new year. He now presents the Saturday early evening show from 4-7pm. As of March 2024, Wright hosts a weekly show with

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2009, where he finished as runn ...

from 9am-12pm on Saturdays, across the

radio network.

Other work

In June 2013, Wright was signed by online retail giant,

Littlewoods Littlewoods was a retail and football betting company founded in Liverpool, England, by John Moores in 1923. By the 1980s, it had grown to become the largest private company in Europe but subsequently declined in the face of increased compe ...

, as its new face of menswear, which sees him style and model a capsule collection each season for Littlewoods' own-brand menswear line, ''Goodsouls''. In September 2018 he was signed by

Matalan Matalan Retail Ltd is a British clothing and homewares retailer based in Knowsley, Merseyside, founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. In August 1988, its operations director at the time, Duncan Sullivan, transformed Matalan into an out-of-town wa ...

as the face of their menswear range. In June 2016, he took part in ''

Soccer Aid Soccer Aid is an English annual charity event that has raised over £106 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public. The televised event is an exhibition-style football match between two teams, England and ...

'' for the first time. He played for 'England'. He scored a goal from a direct free kick in the 3–2 victory, and was named Man of the Match. Wright also played in the 2018 and 2019 editions of ''

''.

Personal life

Mark is the son of Carol and Mark Wright, Sr, the brother of fellow professional footballer

Josh Wright Joshua William Wright (born 6 November 1989) is an English Association football, manager and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of club Ebbsfleet United F.C., Ebbsfleet United. Wright played fo ...

, with whom he played alongside at Crawley Town, and fellow ''The Only Way is Essex'' cast member

Jess Wright Jessica Sophia Wright (born 14 September 1985) is an English television personality. From 2010 to 2016, she appeared in the ITVBe reality series ''The Only Way Is Essex''. She also appeared on the film ''Rise of the Footsoldier 4: Marbella'' (20 ...

. He has a younger sister. His grandmother was Nanny Pat. On 22 February 2009, Wright was

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

at the wedding of the reality star

Jade Goody Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English media personality. She was a contestant on the Big Brother (British TV series) series 3, third series of the Channel 4 reality show ''Big Brother (British TV series) ...

and Jack Tweed, as he was a childhood friend of the groom. Footage of the ceremony was shown in the

Sky Living Sky Living was a British pay television television channel, channel owned and operated by Sky Limited, Sky. The channel's programming was aimed mainly at women and young adults. It originally launched as UK Living yet became Sky Living by 2011. H ...

series ''Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain'' in 2019. In August 2011, Wright appeared at Redbridge Magistrates' Court charged with using threatening behaviour on a night out. He was found not guilty, while Tweed pleaded guilty to common assault. Wright was in a relationship with fellow ''TOWIE'' cast member

Lauren Goodger Lauren Rose Goodger (born 19 September 1986) is an English media personality who starred in the ITVBe reality show ''The Only Way Is Essex'' from 2010 until 2012. She made brief returns to the series in 2015 and 2016 respectively, before returni ...

. Since December 2012, Wright has been in a relationship with former ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' actress

Michelle Keegan Michelle Keegan (born 3 June 1987) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tina McIntyre in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2008–2014) and Georgie Lane in the BBC military drama '' Our Girl'' (2016–2020). Keegan h ...

. They married on 24 May 2015. In December 2024, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together. Their daughter was born on 6 March 2025. They live in Epping. In 2016, Wright appeared on ''

'' to talk about his experience with Symmetry OCD as part of the 2016 OCD Awareness Week. In December 2021, Wright underwent an operation to remove a 12 cm tumour, which was later revealed to be non-cancerous. According to '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', Mark's great-great-grandfather was of Jewish heritage, and his nine-times great grandfather, David Antonio de Mendoza, was a ''

converso A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert" (), was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of their descendants. To safeguard the Old Christian popula ...

'' of

Sephardic Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

descent who was arrested by the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

in 1696 accused of secretly practising his ancestors' religion. David, who was 36 at the time, was tortured for two years in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

using methods including the

toca TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The company organises and administers the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and the support series to the BTCC, sometimes known as the ...

. Once out of prison, David moved his family to Amsterdam where it was safe to practise their faith. His nephew Miguel, however, returned to Spain and was burned at the stake.

Politics

Wright is a supporter of the Conservative Party and had previously called for people to support then-Prime Minister

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...

; he also endorsed Shaun Bailey for the 2021 London Mayoral election.
@MarkWright_. Retrieved 27 April 2023.

Career statistics

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Mark 1987 births Living people People from Buckhurst Hill Footballers from Essex People from Brentwood, Essex English male television actors English male models English television personalities English men's footballers England men's semi-pro international footballers National League (English football) players Isthmian League players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Southend United F.C. players Lewes F.C. players Grays Athletic F.C. players Crawley Town F.C. players Rushden & Diamonds F.C. players St Albans City F.C. players Bishop's Stortford F.C. players Fisher Athletic F.C. players Thurrock F.C. players Heart (radio network) presenters Television personalities from Essex Heybridge Swifts F.C. players Men's association football defenders Entertainment journalists English people of Spanish-Jewish descent English Football League players 21st-century English sportsmen