THE owner of Brentwood's Sugar Hut nightspot has quit TV's The Only Way Is Essex – and has vowed to focus on getting more locals back through the doors of his club.
Mick Norcross, a regular since the first series of TOWIE in 2010, this week said he feared the sheer number of arguments being filmed inside the club was starting to damage the Sugar Hut brand.
As a result, neither he, nor his club, will appear in any further episodes of the ITV2 show.
Mr Norcross, 49, added that the popularity of the venue with tourists had discouraged many of his local customers – punters that he would like to get back.
Explaining his decision to quit TOWIE, Mr Norcross told the Gazette: "When the show filmed in the Sugar Hut, nine times out of ten there would be a big argument and that became more and more of a problem for me because the show is supposed to be about real life.
"People believe that the rows are real but they are staged.
"I don't want the club to be portrayed this way to the public and I found that the Sugar Hut as a brand was becoming damaged.
"I wanted to show champagne popping and people having fun, not rows.
"Getting people in to have a row isn't great TV."
Mr Norcross insists he is not bitter about his departure from the show and said he hopes it continues for the foreseeable future.
"It is going to run for the whole of this year and I hope it continues for a long time, I really do," he said.
"I believe it has probably got another couple of years in it yet."
He added: "I am not bitter towards it at all, it was just the right time for me to go."
As for his son and former co-star Kirk, Mr Norcross said: "He will be staying with TOWIE for the time being."
Turning to the future of his club, he said: "Local people have definitely avoided the venue since we've been on the TV because they don't particularly want to meet those people who are travelling from all over the country.
"I think it's fair to say we would like to get more of a balance between the locals and other visitors than what we have at the moment.
"We've got a big night that Kirk is putting on for the locals on Maundy Thursday and we've got a loyalty card which they can get too."
Mr Norcross added: "I have always respected the locals and what they have done for the business."
An ITV spokesman simply said: "There are no current plans to film with Mick or in the Sugar Hut."
