Former TOWIE star James Argent is moving to the Costa del Sol, it has emerged.
The 38-year-old’s relocation was revealed by former co-star Elliott Wright, as he announced a U-turn on selling his Olivia’s La Cala restaurant in Mijas.
In a post on Instagram, Wright said he had not got ‘the right price or terms’ for a sale, adding that he will be ‘staying’.
He said the venue will reopen on February 14 for Valentine’s Day and that its summer parties are ‘booked and ready.’
He then revealed that Argent, aka Arg, who used to sing at the venue, will ‘not only be doing his legendary Thursday summer nights, but also moving to Spain and taking on Sunday Lunches too.’
Argent assaulted his ex-partner and model Nicole Artursson during an argument at a beachside apartment in La Cala de Mijas on May 5 last year.
He admitted to a charge of ‘mistreatment’ at Fuengirola’s Court of Violence Against Women.
He was later given a six-month suspended sentence and a court-ordered course on domestic violence.
‘I’m staying’: Wright keeps Olivia’s La Cala
Earlier this week, Wright, 45, took to his Instagram page to explain that after putting his Olivia’s La Cala restaurant up for sale, the offers that came in were not the ‘right price.’
The father-of-five previously said he was putting the huge site up for auction, with bids reported to have started at €7.5million.
The Essex native said he wanted to be near his older children, Elliott Jr, 18 and Olivia, 16, who he said do not want to take over the restaurant business. Elliott shares three other children with Sadie Wright, whom he married in 2017.
But in an Instagram post on Wednesday, he revealed a dramatic change in plans.
He wrote: ‘So, 2026 is here, and many of you thought I’d have sold Olivia’s La Cala by now.
‘After receiving the auction bids on December 5 and taking time to properly analyse them, speak with prospective buyers, and review the conditions attached, I’ve decided to keep Olivia’s.
‘Some of the bids simply weren’t strong enough, and the ones that were came with conditions that made selling pointless. I always said I’d only sell if the right price and right terms were met, and they weren’t.’
He added: ‘So with that… I’m staying. Olivia’s is staying. And we’re planning a bigger and better 2026 season.’
Read more Costa del Sol news at the Spanish Eye.
