Mark Wright first came into the spotlight as a lad from Essex starring in a reality series, where he played an exaggerated version of himself. His lines consisted of little more than telling perma-tanned girls he "liked" them, inviting them for drinks in his "private booth" and ribbing his best mate Arg on his weight. But he was obviously easy on the eye, and at least the lines flowed without problem from his perfect-toothed mouth.
After ditching TOWIE, Wright flew to the Australian jungle where he played a nicer, wimpier version of himself - or, as he claimed, the "real Mark Wright" - on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
The nation, or ITV viewers, anyway, watched him enter a very 21st-century bromance with new jungle buddy Dougie, and saw him put his womanising ways aside to settle for one solitary jungle Jane - in this case, underwear model Emily Scott. As if by magic, his popularity was bolstered in just three short kangaroo-anus-eating-weeks.
Ambitious Mark has made no secret of his plans to conquer the TV world, even setting his sights on Hollywood. In January, a source told The Daily Star Mark was ditching his Essex accent and trying to take on more "soft, plummy" tones to make it across the pond. They reported: ""He fancies himself as a younger, more attractive version of Hugh Grant. He's definitely got the charm and a penchant for the ladies."
And then, last week, it was announced that he'd landed his first movie role - thanks to his good looks and the very same Essex accent. Well, that Hugh Grant thing was never going to work, was it? Mark is now lined up to feature alongside Tamer Hassan and Danny Dyer in a new British gangster movie - playing Kelly Brook's love interest.
And he recently made his first £1m and is now driving around in a Mercedes convertible.
There could be just one small fly in the career ointment for world-conquering Mark - his TERRIBLE presenting skills. While landing film roles, Mark's also been trying his hand at compering Take Me Out: The Gossip, the spin-off show to ITV's cheesy dating show Take Me Out, hosted by Paddy McGuiness.
If you haven't put yourself through the cringeworthy experience of watching his auto-cue debut yet, then here's a snippet from the show's trailer - notice the lack of lines:
Yesterday, the Daily Mirror reported that Mark is now looking for tips on how to appear more natural in front of the camera. An insider told the Daily Mirror: "He was wooden and awkward but it's his first job as a presenter."
However, bosses are thought to be 'really pleased' with how he has come across on the programme.
Aside from the fact Mark really shouldn't be giving any sort of dating advice, his gormless expression and stiff presenting skills are leading audiences to ridicule the star when he's attempting to prove he's more than a reality TV face.
One viewer tweeted:
Another said:
And help will hopefully come soon, as Mark, who has admitted that Ant and Dec are a massive inspiration, is also keen to host a show with his I'm A Celebrity pal Dougie Poynter.
An insider said: "Mark and Doug are itching to land their own TV show, something they can front together as a duo. Mark has loads of ideas and is really serious about trying to get producers to consider them."
Mark's obviously not a bad sort, and his wishes to better himself are admirable, let's just hope his next role creates fewer laughs for all the wrong reasons.