diff --git a/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel.cpp b/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel.cpp
--- a/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel.cpp
+++ b/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel.cpp
@@ -31,10 +31,8 @@
 #include <KPackage/PackageLoader>
 #include <KDeclarative/KDeclarative>
 
-PlasmaAppletItem::PlasmaAppletItem(PlasmaAppletItemModel *model,
-                                   const KPluginInfo& info)
-    : QObject(model),
-      m_model(model),
+PlasmaAppletItem::PlasmaAppletItem(const KPluginInfo& info):
+      AbstractItem(),
       m_info(info),
       m_runningCount(0),
       m_local(false)
@@ -179,11 +177,6 @@
     return types;
 }
 
-PlasmaAppletItemModel* PlasmaAppletItem::appletItemModel()
-{
-    return m_model;
-}
-
 QVariant PlasmaAppletItem::data(int role) const
 {
     switch (role) {
@@ -305,7 +298,7 @@
         //qDebug() << info.pluginName() << " is the name of the plugin at" << info.entryPath();
         //qDebug() << info.name() << info.property("X-Plasma-Thumbnail");
 
-        appendRow(new PlasmaAppletItem(this, info));
+        appendRow(new PlasmaAppletItem(info));
     }
 
     emit modelPopulated();
diff --git a/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel_p.h b/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel_p.h
--- a/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel_p.h
+++ b/components/shellprivate/widgetexplorer/plasmaappletitemmodel_p.h
@@ -29,12 +29,10 @@
 /**
  * Implementation of the KCategorizedItemsViewModels::AbstractItem
  */
-class PlasmaAppletItem : public QObject, public KCategorizedItemsViewModels::AbstractItem
+class PlasmaAppletItem : public KCategorizedItemsViewModels::AbstractItem
 {
-    Q_OBJECT
-
 public:
-    PlasmaAppletItem(PlasmaAppletItemModel *model, const KPluginInfo& info);
+    PlasmaAppletItem(const KPluginInfo& info);
 
     QString pluginName() const;
     QString name() const override;
@@ -49,7 +47,6 @@
 
     int running() const override;
     bool isLocal() const;
-    PlasmaAppletItemModel* appletItemModel();
     bool matches(const QString &pattern) const override;
 
     //set how many instances of this applet are running
@@ -59,7 +56,6 @@
     QStringList mimeTypes() const;
 
 private:
-    PlasmaAppletItemModel * m_model;
     KPluginInfo m_info;
     QString m_screenshot;
     QString m_icon;