Brentwood’s Amy Childs has been rated by bookies as the favourite to win the re-vamped Celebrity Big Brother series - even though she hasn’t been named as a contestant.

The series is due to be screened on Channel 5 later this year, but without any participants being confirmed, Paddy Power have given The Only Way is Essex star odds of 5/1.

These odds are shorter than stars like Martine McCutcheon and Ricky Hatton.

A spokesman for the bookmaker said: “She was installed as our favourite to win because her popularity is growing all the time, and she’s been likened to Katie Price, but she’s a younger version without any negative press.

“She seems to have a big personality as well as other assets and would be a big noise in the Big Brother house. Of all the names mentioned so far she is the most likely to take part in our opinion so it’s a mixture of all these things that make her our favourite.”

Miss Childs has been a star of the ITV2 series since it launched in October last year. Earlier this year she signed a big money contract to become the new face of Caprice’s lingerie range.

The new series of The Only Way is Essex continues this Wednesday at 10pm on ITV2.