diff --git a/horovod/spark/lightning/estimator.py b/horovod/spark/lightning/estimator.py
index c039ffc751..f60608d4d7 100644
--- a/horovod/spark/lightning/estimator.py
+++ b/horovod/spark/lightning/estimator.py
@@ -206,9 +206,6 @@ class TorchEstimator(HorovodEstimator, TorchEstimatorParamsWritable,
 
     profiler = Param(Params._dummy(), 'profiler', 'lightning profiler to use')
 
-    checkpoint_callback = Param(Params._dummy(), 'checkpoint_callback',
-                                'model checkpointing callback')
-
     @keyword_only
     def __init__(self,
                  num_proc=None,
@@ -249,8 +246,7 @@ def __init__(self,
                  data_module=None,
                  loader_num_epochs=None,
                  terminate_on_nan=False,
-                 profiler=None,
-                 checkpoint_callback=None):
+                 profiler=None):
 
         super(TorchEstimator, self).__init__()
         self._setDefault(loss_constructors=None,
@@ -264,8 +260,7 @@ def __init__(self,
                          data_module=None,
                          loader_num_epochs=None,
                          terminate_on_nan=False,
-                         profiler=None,
-                         checkpoint_callback=None)
+                         profiler=None)
 
         kwargs = self._input_kwargs
 
@@ -338,12 +333,6 @@ def setTerminateOnNan(self, value):
     def getTerminateOnNan(self):
         return self.getOrDefault(self.terminate_on_nan)
 
-    def setCheckpointCallback(self, value):
-        return self._set(checkpoint_callback=value)
-
-    def getCheckpointCallback(self):
-        return self.getOrDefault(self.checkpoint_callback)
-
     def getProfiler(self):
         return self.getOrDefault(self.profiler)
 
diff --git a/horovod/spark/lightning/remote.py b/horovod/spark/lightning/remote.py
index 648ba68bd8..f4f3a76c06 100644
--- a/horovod/spark/lightning/remote.py
+++ b/horovod/spark/lightning/remote.py
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ def RemoteTrainer(estimator, metadata, ckpt_bytes, run_id, dataset_idx, train_ro
     transformation = transformation_fn if transformation_fn else None
     inmemory_cache_all = estimator.getInMemoryCacheAll()
     callbacks = estimator.getCallbacks() or []
-    checkpoint_callback = estimator.getCheckpointCallback()
     train_steps_per_epoch = estimator.getTrainStepsPerEpoch()
     val_steps_per_epoch = estimator.getValidationStepsPerEpoch()
     num_gpus = estimator.getNumGPUs()
@@ -99,6 +98,7 @@ def train(serialized_model):
         import horovod.torch as hvd
         # Horovod: initialize library.
         hvd.init()
+        _checkpoint_callback = None
 
         with remote_store.get_local_output_dir() as run_output_dir:
             logs_path = os.path.join(run_output_dir, remote_store.logs_subdir)
@@ -127,16 +127,15 @@ def train(serialized_model):
 
             # Lightning requires to add checkpoint callbacks for all ranks.
             # Otherwise we are seeing hanging in training.
-            _checkpoint_callback = checkpoint_callback
+            for i, cb in enumerate(callbacks):
+                if isinstance(cb, ModelCheckpoint):
+                    _checkpoint_callback = cb
+                    _checkpoint_callback.dir_path = ckpt_dir
+                    _checkpoint_callback.filename = ckpt_filename
+                    break
             if _checkpoint_callback:
-                _checkpoint_callback.dir_path = ckpt_dir
-                _checkpoint_callback.filename = ckpt_filename
-            else:
-                # By default 'monitor'=None which saves a checkpoint only for the last epoch.
-                _checkpoint_callback = ModelCheckpoint(dirpath=ckpt_dir,
-                                                       filename=ckpt_filename,
-                                                       verbose=True)
-            callbacks.append(_checkpoint_callback)
+                callbacks.pop(i)
+                callbacks.append(_checkpoint_callback)
 
             if remote_store.saving_runs and hvd.rank() == 0:
                 # Horovod: sync checkpoint and logging files only on rank 0 to
@@ -224,7 +223,10 @@ def on_epoch_end(self, trainer: "pl.Trainer", pl_module: "pl.LightningModule") -
                     remote_store.sync(logs_path)
 
                 # rank 0 overwrites model with best checkpoint and returns.
-                best_model = model.load_from_checkpoint(_checkpoint_callback.best_model_path)
+                if _checkpoint_callback:
+                    best_model = model.load_from_checkpoint(_checkpoint_callback.best_model_path)
+                else:
+                    best_model = model
                 serialized_checkpoint = io.BytesIO()
                 module = best_model if not is_legacy else best_model._model