ITV bosses are said to be having problems signing up any celebrities to this years series of Hell’s Kitchen.

Channel bosses have put a salary limit of £8,000 for anyone appearing on the show. When you consider that in 2007, Abbey Clancy was said to have signed a £100,000 contract for the ITV1 reality show, £8000 does seem rather paltry.

An insider told The People: “There isn’t any money to pay for celebrities this year. Money is so tight at ITV that even though Hell’s Kitchen is one of its top shows, the budgets can’t be stretched.

“As a result, producers are struggling to pull in a full lineup at this late stage. They obviously want to make the programme as appealing to viewers as possible but it is difficult in the current climate.”