The eight former favourites on the beginning line for a second go at I’m a Celebrity clarify why they weren’t delay by what they went by way of with the trials final time round.
All 12 of the blasts from the previous who shall be taking up ‘subsequent stage’ Bushtucker trials on TV from April 6
Beverley Callard
Soap icon Beverley Callard credit her look on the 2020 sequence of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, through the Covid pandemic, with giving her a much-needed confidence increase.
The Coronation Street actress, who completed tenth on the ITV sequence six years in the past, revealed final month that since recording the present in South Africa final yr, she she had been recognized with breast most cancers which was caught within the “very early stages”. She has since had surgical procedure which included the elimination of lymph nodes.
Looking again on the expertise she had in Wales alongside the likes of Jordan North and Vernon Kay, Bev mentioned that it had modified her. “I do tend to suffer from low self-esteem,” she explains. “Without sounding big-headed, because people kept telling me they loved me and how down to earth I was, it gave me confidence and it was lovely to be with such a wonderful group of people.”
As the show returns for the second series featuring past “legends”, she’s very happy to be swapping the freezing Welsh castle for the warm, South African jungle – but is still terrified of the trials. “You sit there thinking ‘please don’t let it be me’,” she admits. “I am most scared of the eating trials. If I get a penis or whatever, I don’t know if I will be able to do it.”
The 69-year-old may have spent 31 years on and off as Weatherfield barmaid Liz McDonald, but she doesn’t think she stands any chance of clinching the legend title. “I am not being phoney but I don’t think I will win it.”
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Scarlett Moffatt
Former Queen of the jungle Scarlett Moffatt admits she is feeling apprehensive about going into camp again, despite winning the series in 2016. That said, she plans to use the time away from home for a bit of personal relaxation away from being a mum to a toddler. “It’s lovely to be able to show my little boy what I do as a job,” she says. “I am going to miss him loads, but it will also be nice to have some time just for me especially as I’m A Celebrity has been such a big part of my life.”
The Gogglebox favourite, 35, said that getting the call inviting her back had been a thrill. “I was a bit overwhelmed. Out of all the people they could pick, I felt grateful that I was even a thought because so many people have done it. I am going to give it my all.” Scarlett said she was looking forward to seeing fellow Geordies Ant and Dec again, having worked with them after her jungle triumph on Saturday Night Takeaway. “When I first moved to London they invited me round a few times to have dinner. They are lovely people.”
Seann Walsh
Comedian Seann Walsh got here fifth on the 2022 present after being a late entrant alongside Matt Hancock. He still hates creepy crawlies, but credits the programme with saving his stand-up career, which suffered after he was photographed kissing his Strictly pro dancer partner Katya Jones in 2018.
Reflecting on how the series affected him, he says: “It didn’t change me as a person, but it changed my life in a very positive way. I was able to go back on tour and sell out rooms again. I am forever grateful. “The truth is outside of the jungle, I keep myself to a small group of friends and doing stand-up is extraordinary but lonely at times. I get nervous meeting new people and so it’s nice to know I can do it.” Now a dad of two Seann, 40, says this time around he’ll miss his kids. “In camp, time really slows down,” he says. “If my daughter says: ‘I love you daddy’, I start crying. Being apart from them is going to be difficult.”
David Haye
Former champion boxer David Haye finished in third place back in 2012, and has since kept himself busy with several “throuple” relationships. He says that the show made him realise he was good at bonding with a group of people he didn’t know. “I’m quite easy to get on with and I never had issues with mixing,” he says, noting that the camp had been quite chilled.
“Maybe this time around it might get saucier.” Laid back about the trials, which he claims were “quite easy”, Haye, 45, says he is most looking forward to the South African wildlife. “I really enjoyed the connection with mother nature. Chuck a bunch of cockroaches or spiders over me, I am pretty sure I will be fine.”
Sinitta
Pop singer Sinitta was the second celebrity to be voted out when she took part in 2011, so for this series she’s hoping to stick around a bit longer. “I did trial after trial and then I got voted out but I learned I can pull things out of the bag in extreme circumstances.”
She’s keen for this return visit to have a lasting effect on her. “I’m hoping the South African jungle will cure me of my phobias, because it is quite debilitating being afraid of everything. I’ve been like that since I was six and so it would be incredible to not only not be afraid anymore.” And the 62-year-old added: “I’m also hoping that it will be a bit like an epiphany where I walk away with the feeling that I can do anything else I want to.”
Sir Mo Farah
Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah came fifth on the Welsh series of 2020, and says that now he’s retired from athletics, viewers might get to see a whole new side to him. “The last time I was in there was hard, because I was still competing and you worry about what you can and can’t say,” the 43-year-old explains.
“This time around, I am retired. I’ve got nothing to prove and I can be more open. I can talk about things in more detail.” But one thing hasn’t changed – and that is his fear of snakes. “Even speaking about snakes makes me feel terrified,” he confesses. “There were so many things I was scared of when I did those trials, but it was the snakes that I found scariest.”
Ashley Roberts
Heart radio DJ Ashley Roberts was the runner-up in 2012, and she couldn’t help but accept the offer to return for the legends version. “This show changed my life,” she says. “I’ve lived in the UK ever since I left the jungle 14 years ago and that in itself is amazing. When I got the call, I knew it was going to be nuts again, but what a beautiful gift the programme gave me and so I said ‘yes’.”
The 45-year-old, who worked with Ant and Dec on Saturday Night Takeaway, is dating 25-year-old tattoo artist George Rollinson and says he’s helping her to overcome her nerves. “I have had some sleepless nights before arriving in South Africa. My boyfriend has been such a great cheerleader and supporter in the run-up because I have been so nervous. He keeps telling me I am going to smash it, which is lovely. I just want to try my best.”
Adam Thomas
Ex Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas did a staggering 12 bushtucker trials during the 2016 series, in which he eventually finished third. Now he’s back for more, and says that as a “people person” he’s looking forward to making new pals. A decade on from his first go on the show, Adam, 37, says he has not conquered any of the fears that plagued him. “I simply hope there aren’t too many spiders! I’m scared to dying of them, as effectively as cockroaches.”
He mentioned his spotlight from earlier than was getting back from a trial and telling the group that they might eat that evening. “Putting a smile on the campmates’ faces when you come back from a trial with stars is special.” He doesn’t assume he’ll end in first place. “I’m not going in thinking I could win it – I am not very competitive,” he says. “As long as I try my best that is all that matters.”
Latecomers
The eight will quickly be joined by latecomers Gemma Collins, Harry Redknapp, Craig Charles and Jimmy Bullard.
– I’m A Celebrity…South Africa begins Easter Monday at 9pm on ITV1
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