diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/AlertManagerRouting.tsx b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/AlertManagerRouting.tsx
index ad8151d4ebe..4ec14cd359a 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/AlertManagerRouting.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/AlertManagerRouting.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-import { css, cx } from '@emotion/css';
+import { css } from '@emotion/css';
 import React, { useState } from 'react';
 
 import { GrafanaTheme2 } from '@grafana/data';
-import { Alert, CollapsableSection, IconButton, LoadingPlaceholder, Stack, TextLink, useStyles2 } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { Alert, CollapsableSection, LoadingPlaceholder, Stack, useStyles2 } from '@grafana/ui';
 import { AlertManagerDataSource } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/utils/datasource';
-import { createUrl } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/utils/url';
 
+import { ContactPointReceiverSummary } from '../../../contact-points/ContactPoints';
 import { useContactPointsWithStatus } from '../../../contact-points/useContactPoints';
 import { ContactPointWithMetadata } from '../../../contact-points/utils';
 
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ interface AlertManagerManualRoutingProps {
   alertManager: AlertManagerDataSource;
 }
 
-const LOADING_SPINNER_DURATION = 1000;
-
 export function AlertManagerManualRouting({ alertManager }: AlertManagerManualRoutingProps) {
   const styles = useStyles2(getStyles);
 
@@ -29,21 +27,17 @@ export function AlertManagerManualRouting({ alertManager }: AlertManagerManualRo
     ContactPointWithMetadata | undefined
   >();
 
-  // We need to provide a fake loading state for the contact points, because it might be that the response is so fast that the loading spinner is not shown,
-  // and the user might think that the contact points are not fetched.
-  // We will show the loading spinner for 1 second, and if the fetching takes more than 1 second, we will show the loading spinner until the fetching is done.
-
-  const [loadingContactPoints, setLoadingContactPoints] = useState(false);
-  // we need to keep track if the fetching takes more than 1 second, so we can show the loading spinner until the fetching is done
-  const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
-
-  const onClickRefresh = () => {
-    setLoadingContactPoints(true);
-    Promise.all([refetchReceivers(), sleep(LOADING_SPINNER_DURATION)]).finally(() => {
-      setLoadingContactPoints(false);
-    });
+  const onSelectContactPoint = (contactPoint?: ContactPointWithMetadata) => {
+    setSelectedContactPointWithMetadata(contactPoint);
   };
 
+  const options = contactPoints.map((receiver) => {
+    const integrations = receiver?.grafana_managed_receiver_configs;
+    const description = <ContactPointReceiverSummary receivers={integrations ?? []} />;
+
+    return { label: receiver.name, value: receiver, description };
+  });
+
   if (errorInContactPointStatus) {
     return <Alert title="Failed to fetch contact points" severity="error" />;
   }
@@ -64,21 +58,10 @@ export function AlertManagerManualRouting({ alertManager }: AlertManagerManualRo
       <Stack direction="row" gap={1} alignItems="center">
         <ContactPointSelector
           alertManager={alertManagerName}
-          contactPoints={contactPoints}
-          onSelectContactPoint={setSelectedContactPointWithMetadata}
+          options={options}
+          onSelectContactPoint={onSelectContactPoint}
+          refetchReceivers={refetchReceivers}
         />
-        <div className={styles.contactPointsInfo}>
-          <IconButton
-            name="sync"
-            onClick={onClickRefresh}
-            aria-label="Refresh contact points"
-            tooltip="Refresh contact points list"
-            className={cx(styles.refreshButton, {
-              [styles.loading]: loadingContactPoints,
-            })}
-          />
-          <LinkToContactPoints />
-        </div>
       </Stack>
       {selectedContactPointWithMetadata?.grafana_managed_receiver_configs && (
         <ContactPointDetails receivers={selectedContactPointWithMetadata.grafana_managed_receiver_configs} />
@@ -98,14 +81,6 @@ export function AlertManagerManualRouting({ alertManager }: AlertManagerManualRo
     </Stack>
   );
 }
-function LinkToContactPoints() {
-  const hrefToContactPoints = '/alerting/notifications';
-  return (
-    <TextLink external href={createUrl(hrefToContactPoints)} aria-label="View or create contact points">
-      View or create contact points
-    </TextLink>
-  );
-}
 
 const getStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2) => ({
   firstAlertManagerLine: css({
@@ -141,30 +116,4 @@ const getStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2) => ({
     padding: `${theme.spacing(1)} ${theme.spacing(2)}`,
     marginTop: theme.spacing(2),
   }),
-  contactPointsInfo: css({
-    display: 'flex',
-    flexDirection: 'row',
-    alignItems: 'center',
-    justifyContent: 'center',
-    gap: theme.spacing(1),
-    marginTop: theme.spacing(1),
-  }),
-  refreshButton: css({
-    color: theme.colors.text.secondary,
-    cursor: 'pointer',
-    borderRadius: theme.shape.radius.circle,
-    overflow: 'hidden',
-  }),
-  loading: css({
-    pointerEvents: 'none',
-    animation: 'rotation 2s infinite linear',
-    '@keyframes rotation': {
-      from: {
-        transform: 'rotate(720deg)',
-      },
-      to: {
-        transform: 'rotate(0deg)',
-      },
-    },
-  }),
 });
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/contactPoint/ContactPointSelector.tsx b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/contactPoint/ContactPointSelector.tsx
index d78a2087c4c..5788b9dd44a 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/contactPoint/ContactPointSelector.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-editor/alert-rule-form/simplifiedRouting/contactPoint/ContactPointSelector.tsx
@@ -1,75 +1,186 @@
-import { css } from '@emotion/css';
-import React from 'react';
+import { css, cx } from '@emotion/css';
+import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import { useFormContext } from 'react-hook-form';
 
 import { GrafanaTheme2, SelectableValue } from '@grafana/data';
-import { ActionMeta, Field, FieldValidationMessage, InputControl, Select, Stack, useStyles2 } from '@grafana/ui';
+import {
+  ActionMeta,
+  Field,
+  FieldValidationMessage,
+  IconButton,
+  InputControl,
+  Select,
+  Stack,
+  TextLink,
+  useStyles2,
+} from '@grafana/ui';
 import { RuleFormValues } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/types/rule-form';
+import { createUrl } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/utils/url';
 
-import { ContactPointReceiverSummary } from '../../../../contact-points/ContactPoints';
 import { ContactPointWithMetadata } from '../../../../contact-points/utils';
 
 export interface ContactPointSelectorProps {
   alertManager: string;
-  contactPoints: ContactPointWithMetadata[];
+  options: Array<{
+    label: string;
+    value: ContactPointWithMetadata;
+    description: React.JSX.Element;
+  }>;
   onSelectContactPoint: (contactPoint?: ContactPointWithMetadata) => void;
+  refetchReceivers: () => Promise<unknown>;
 }
-export function ContactPointSelector({ alertManager, contactPoints, onSelectContactPoint }: ContactPointSelectorProps) {
+
+export function ContactPointSelector({
+  alertManager,
+  options,
+  onSelectContactPoint,
+  refetchReceivers,
+}: ContactPointSelectorProps) {
   const styles = useStyles2(getStyles);
-  const { control, watch } = useFormContext<RuleFormValues>();
+  const { control, watch, trigger } = useFormContext<RuleFormValues>();
 
-  const options = contactPoints.map((receiver) => {
-    const integrations = receiver?.grafana_managed_receiver_configs;
-    const description = <ContactPointReceiverSummary receivers={integrations ?? []} />;
+  const contactPointInForm = watch(`contactPoints.${alertManager}.selectedContactPoint`);
 
-    return { label: receiver.name, value: receiver, description };
-  });
-
-  const selectedContactPointWithMetadata = options.find(
-    (option) => option.value.name === watch(`contactPoints.${alertManager}.selectedContactPoint`)
-  )?.value;
+  const selectedContactPointWithMetadata = options.find((option) => option.value.name === contactPointInForm)?.value;
   const selectedContactPointSelectableValue = selectedContactPointWithMetadata
     ? { value: selectedContactPointWithMetadata, label: selectedContactPointWithMetadata.name }
     : undefined;
 
+  const LOADING_SPINNER_DURATION = 1000;
+
+  const [loadingContactPoints, setLoadingContactPoints] = useState(false);
+  // we need to keep track if the fetching takes more than 1 second, so we can show the loading spinner until the fetching is done
+  const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
+
+  // if we have a contact point selected, check if it still exists in the event that someone has deleted it
+  const validateContactPoint = useCallback(() => {
+    if (contactPointInForm) {
+      trigger(`contactPoints.${alertManager}.selectedContactPoint`, { shouldFocus: true });
+    }
+  }, [alertManager, contactPointInForm, trigger]);
+
+  const onClickRefresh = () => {
+    setLoadingContactPoints(true);
+    Promise.all([refetchReceivers(), sleep(LOADING_SPINNER_DURATION)]).finally(() => {
+      setLoadingContactPoints(false);
+      validateContactPoint();
+    });
+  };
+
+  // validate the contact point and check if it still exists when mounting the component
+  useEffect(() => {
+    validateContactPoint();
+  }, [validateContactPoint]);
+
   return (
     <Stack direction="column">
-      <Field label="Contact point">
-        <InputControl
-          render={({ field: { onChange, ref, ...field }, fieldState: { error } }) => (
-            <>
-              <div className={styles.contactPointsSelector}>
-                <Select
-                  {...field}
-                  defaultValue={selectedContactPointSelectableValue}
-                  aria-label="Contact point"
-                  onChange={(value: SelectableValue<ContactPointWithMetadata>, _: ActionMeta) => {
-                    onChange(value?.value?.name);
-                    onSelectContactPoint(value?.value);
-                  }}
-                  // We are passing a JSX.Element into the "description" for options, which isn't how the TS typings are defined.
-                  // The regular Select component will render it just fine, but we can't update the typings because SelectableValue
-                  // is shared with other components where the "description" _has_ to be a string.
-                  // I've tried unsuccessfully to separate the typings just I'm giving up :'(
-                  // @ts-ignore
-                  options={options}
-                  width={50}
-                />
-              </div>
-              {error && <FieldValidationMessage>{error.message}</FieldValidationMessage>}
-            </>
-          )}
-          rules={{ required: { value: true, message: 'Contact point is required.' } }}
-          control={control}
-          name={`contactPoints.${alertManager}.selectedContactPoint`}
-        />
-      </Field>
+      <Stack direction="row" alignItems="center">
+        <Field label="Contact point">
+          <InputControl
+            render={({ field: { onChange, ref, ...field }, fieldState: { error } }) => (
+              <>
+                <div className={styles.contactPointsSelector}>
+                  <Select
+                    {...field}
+                    aria-label="Contact point"
+                    defaultValue={selectedContactPointSelectableValue}
+                    onChange={(value: SelectableValue<ContactPointWithMetadata>, _: ActionMeta) => {
+                      onChange(value?.value?.name);
+                      onSelectContactPoint(value?.value);
+                    }}
+                    // We are passing a JSX.Element into the "description" for options, which isn't how the TS typings are defined.
+                    // The regular Select component will render it just fine, but we can't update the typings because SelectableValue
+                    // is shared with other components where the "description" _has_ to be a string.
+                    // I've tried unsuccessfully to separate the typings just I'm giving up :'(
+                    // @ts-ignore
+                    options={options}
+                    width={50}
+                  />
+                  <div className={styles.contactPointsInfo}>
+                    <IconButton
+                      name="sync"
+                      onClick={onClickRefresh}
+                      aria-label="Refresh contact points"
+                      tooltip="Refresh contact points list"
+                      className={cx(styles.refreshButton, {
+                        [styles.loading]: loadingContactPoints,
+                      })}
+                    />
+                    <LinkToContactPoints />
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+
+                {/* Error can come from the required validation we have in here, or from the manual setError we do in the parent component.
+                The only way I found to check the custom error is to check if the field has a value and if it's not in the options. */}
+
+                {error && <FieldValidationMessage>{error?.message}</FieldValidationMessage>}
+              </>
+            )}
+            rules={{
+              required: {
+                value: true,
+                message: 'Contact point is required.',
+              },
+              validate: {
+                contactPointExists: (value: string) => {
+                  if (options.some((option) => option.value.name === value)) {
+                    return true;
+                  }
+                  return `Contact point ${contactPointInForm} does not exist.`;
+                },
+              },
+            }}
+            control={control}
+            name={`contactPoints.${alertManager}.selectedContactPoint`}
+          />
+        </Field>
+      </Stack>
     </Stack>
   );
 }
+function LinkToContactPoints() {
+  const hrefToContactPoints = '/alerting/notifications';
+  return (
+    <TextLink external href={createUrl(hrefToContactPoints)} aria-label="View or create contact points">
+      View or create contact points
+    </TextLink>
+  );
+}
 
 const getStyles = (theme: GrafanaTheme2) => ({
   contactPointsSelector: css({
+    display: 'flex',
+    flexDirection: 'row',
+    alignItems: 'center',
+    gap: theme.spacing(1),
     marginTop: theme.spacing(1),
   }),
+  contactPointsInfo: css({
+    display: 'flex',
+    flexDirection: 'row',
+    alignItems: 'center',
+    justifyContent: 'center',
+    gap: theme.spacing(1),
+  }),
+  refreshButton: css({
+    color: theme.colors.text.secondary,
+    cursor: 'pointer',
+    borderRadius: theme.shape.radius.circle,
+    overflow: 'hidden',
+  }),
+  loading: css({
+    pointerEvents: 'none',
+    animation: 'rotation 2s infinite linear',
+    '@keyframes rotation': {
+      from: {
+        transform: 'rotate(720deg)',
+      },
+      to: {
+        transform: 'rotate(0deg)',
+      },
+    },
+  }),
+  warn: css({
+    color: theme.colors.warning.text,
+  }),
 });