Mario Lopez: No More Going Shirtless
By Bryan Alexander

How about coming out of the closet.

"My shirtless photo-shoot days are behind me," Mario Lopez tells PEOPLE in a bitter blow to beefcake.

Not that the buff new Extra host has anything to hide. "Obviously, being healthy and staying fit are important to me," says the 34-year-old, who in the past seemed like the only serious rival to Matthew McConaughey in the bare-chest sweepstakes.

As of Monday, former The Bold and the Beautiful and Dancing with the Stars favorite Lopez – who was also memorably bare-bottomed in the shower for a 2006 episode of Nip/Tuck – will be happily hosting Extra on his own, full-time.

"My TV projects are my main priority," he says. "And no, you will never see me host Extra without a shirt."


No Back to the Shower
Still, to every rule there's an exception – in this case, Nip/Tuck.

Lopez says he is "thrilled" to be reprising the role of Dr. Mike Hamoui on the cable series, with Dr. Mike moving to Los Angeles – where he can once again gain the attention of the ab-admiring Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) in the locker room.

"A small spoiler," says Lopez. "Dr. Mike might not be taking anymore showers at the gym with Christian, but he will lose his shirt."