CELEBS Go Dating has signed up its cast for 2026 and will begin filming in a matter of weeks, the show’s relationship expert Paul C. Brunson has revealed.
Though the famous faces taking part haven’t officially been confirmed just yet, The Sun revealed that MAFS Australia star Lucinda Light and Coronation Street‘s Stephanie Davis will be amongst them.
In the summer series, Christine McGuinness pulled out early on as she grappled with dating in the public eye after splitting from husband Paddy and revealing she is bisexual.
She returned for the series finale and Paul has hinted that the single star could play a part in the next instalment.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, he says: “So we’re going back to film early, we start in January.
“What’s beautiful is that we have a lot of cast members who are specifically coming for the coaching, for the counselling, for therapy, so oftentimes they want to have a conversation with us in advance, so I know right now who’s going to be with us next month.”
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When asked if Christine was one of them, Paul coyly says: “There’s always a chance.”
He continues: “I’ll tell you what I think. I think the biggest surprise with Christine is when she left we were all disappointed.
“We were saddened by it, and I thought she was leaving, we would never see her again, and then all of a sudden, she’d keep popping up.
“Then at the finale, she’s there, and so I believe at a certain point, if she’s not in a relationship, I believe she would like to come back.”
The show’s return follows a bumper year for all of the programme’s experts; Anna Williamson’s LuAnna podcast with Luisa Zissman continued to delight listeners, sexpert Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn released a successful book, Paul’s We Need To Talk podcast became one of the nation’s most-loved releases and, of course, the agency’s receptionist Tom Read Wilson finished as I’m A Celebrity runner-up.
All of that energy will be filtered into the show and excitement around it is at an all-time high.
“Tom just killed it in the jungle, like he just literally killed it,” says Paul. “So to have Tom there now, there’s going to be a different level of intrigue, different interest, a different dynamic.”
He teased that this year’s cohort could find themselves abroad more than once during the series, too, as it builds on last year’s sun-soaked opener in Ibiza.
But more than anything, Paul believes the intentions of the celebs are aligned with the show’s premise, perfect for building on the success of the last series.
He says: “What I’m seeing with the cast is that they want to come because they truly want to find someone, more and more I’m seeing that, and I think that’s good because I didn’t see that in my early times on Celebs.”
Before playing matchmaker, Paul has Christmas to look forward to with his wife Jill and their two sons – Kingston 15 and Liam, 12 at their home in the UK.
As the boys have got older, Paul admits the festivities have scaled back, but that’s not to say he’s a Scrooge. On the contrary, his house will be filled with scented candles and a very festive vibe.
He says: “We have cut back on how much decoration that we’re putting up, we have shrunk the time that the tree is up, we used to have, especially in the United States, you put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving, whereas now we’re putting the tree up like three days before Christmas.
“But what has not changed is the gift giving aspect of it, this is always key in our household. We have the stockings that we do the night before, we are very Virgo, so I’m very orderly in how we’re opening up the Christmas presents.”
Paul’s teamed up with TK Maxx this season, using his expertise to help shoppers pick out the perfect gifts for their loved-ones this Christmas, regardless of how long they’ve been in each other’s lives.
The most important aspect of gift-giving in Paul’s view is making sure there’s a personal connection.
That should trump financial cost, every single time.
Recalling his most memorable gift from Jill, his eyes light up as he describes a denim jacket that paid tribute to his favourite hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest.
“I was born in New York. I’m a hardcore music fan,” he says. “I’m a hardcore hip-hop fan. I grew up, basically, it was a Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, all these people grew up in my neighborhood.
“So my wife clearly knows this, and I was gifted a denim jacket, a Tribe Called Quest denim jacket, which to some people would be meaningless, but it was everything to me, everything to me.
“I think the key is understanding what is meaningful to your partner, that’s the key. “
Where once expense and bragging rights were popular were the driving force behind gifts, these days attitudes are generally less materialistic and more focused on value for money.
Paul says: “I think what’s great about the day and age that we live in is that right now I truly believe what we’re looking for is efficiency and we’re looking for items that are not breaking the bank.
“I think this is also why TK Maxx has been a perfect partner, because it’s literally more for less, and I was completely shocked at some of those gold tag discounts that you get, it’s just next level.
“I am a clothes fiend and the discounts are just ridiculous, and I think that’s the key, the key is that your partner now wants to know that you got a great price for it, that it was efficient, that you did get more for less, that’s the day and age that we’re living in.”
Looking ahead to next year, 2026 is shaping up to be a bumper one for Paul as his media profile and business interests continue to grow.
He calls the professional juggling act his “biggest challenge”.
First up is Celebs Go Dating quickly followed by more Married At First Sight.
Then there’s an under wraps TV project on which Paul is co-producer and more episodes of We Need To Talk.
The podcast, which is under Steven Bartlett‘s Flight Story umbrella, was the seventh most popular podcast in the society and culture genre this year and has its eye set on cracking America after charting over there, too.
Today, Paul is filming with an A-list Hollywood star, who is delving into an “incredibly heavy” personal issue.
It follows devastating episodes with Holly Hagan, who opened up in detail about her sister Darci’s tragic death, aged just 19, following a night out in Manchester, and Little Mix‘s Perrie Edwards, who spoke about her miscarriage heartache for the first time.
Paul believes it’s because he provides a “safe space” free of judgement that allows guests to speak fully in a long-form environment.
He says: “It’s one of these where I walk in very heavy, and then have the conversation, and the conversation actually helps me to feel lighter, as I know it is for the guest.”
