A mixed bag of famous (and not so famous)

Deep in the Australian jungle, terror and/or self-discovery await for the contestants who have been fool enough to sign up to this year’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!. Ant and Dec preside, as usual, over a mixed bag of famous – and not so famous – names from the worlds of comedy, reality TV, pop, sport, soap and radio.

So who will be eating kangaroo eyeballs every day, and who will capture the hearts of the viewing public and become king or queen of the jungle?

Here’s everything you need to know.

When is I’m a Celebrity on?

The series airs nightly on ITV1 and ITVX.

Who is in the line-up?

Here is the full rundown, plus our critic Jon Peake’s thoughts on who is in the running for jungle glory.

Who has left?

Kelly Brook, 45, Heart Radio DJ and model

The former Big Breakfast host and lads’ mag model has come in for a lot of criticism on this year’s show, even up to her last moments when she revealed she’d eaten more than her fair share of milk bottle sweets – causing outrage. She became the fourth celebrity to be voted off and, in her exit intervie,w said, “It’s a dream and so beautiful in there… It would have been nice to get to the final but there are people in there that want it more than me.” She also highlighted her fondness for Martin Kemp, calling him her “saviour”.

Vogue Williams, 40, podcast and TV presenter

“Coffee!” was the first reaction of Vogue Williams, when she discovered she would be the third celebrity to leave the show (losing in the vote to Kelly Brook). And then, upon meeting Ant and Dec, “booze!” Drinking a glass of champagne, she admitted she was sad to go, but that “it was getting really hard, I was so hungry…”

Eddie Kadi, 42, comedian

Eddie Kadi was the second celebrity voted out, the news being delivered on Sunday, 30 November, with Vogue Williams the other name under threat. “I feel like I’ve been in there for a year. It’s literally changed my life,” he said afterwards. He also spoke out about campmate Ruby Wax: “There were moments where you’d just look at Ruby and think, ‘You are ridiculous.’”

Alex Scott, 41, former Lioness turned sports broadcaster

On Saturday, 29 November, Scott became the first celebrity to be voted out. Before hearing the news from Ant and Dec, she reflected: “If it’s me, then it’s meant to be, it’s my time and I get to go and embrace my loved ones. I don’t want it to be over, but if it is, then hey I’ve had the best time ever.”

Who is still in the show?

Tom Read Wilson, 39, Celebs Go Dating star

The Royal Academy of Music-trained personality, actor and singer with the cut-glass accent says that the thought of joining the show filled him with “abject terror”. But that, “if the only reason that you don’t want to do [something] is fear, you must do it.” He anticipates being a social butterfly within the camp, saying, “my favourite thing about being alive is meeting people”.

But there’s one other draw too: Ant and Dec. “I have been fans of them since I was a grasshopper,” says Read Wilson. “Byker Grove was my vintage. They are old enough to be my entertainment when I was growing up and I am always following their careers with avidity”.

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Ruby Wax, 72, comedian

Having trained as a therapist in recent years, comedian Wax says she will be viewing the experience more as a psychological experiment than a platform for her vociferous humour. “I’m looking forward to mingling and finding out about everyone,” she says. But there’s a proviso: you have to ask about her. “There is nothing more boring than someone who doesn’t ask you anything.”

As the oldest contestant, she will likely be game, and claims “I’m not scared of anything.” So expect her to be in every revolting eating challenge or meal-winning bugfest as viewers test her resolve. Talking of viewers, Wax is at pains to point out their conception of her is not accurate. “In my personas before, I looked quite aggressive and pushy, and I think it was just my nerves. I am not aggressive; it’s the way I talk. I’m not confrontational and it looked like I was.”

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Martin Kemp, 64, actor and musician

Genial and calm, softly spoken Kemp probably experienced worse living conditions while on tour with the bands of his youth. But the former Spandau Ballet bassist has since got used to the finer things in life. Can he hack the jungle? He says he’s got a phobia of rats, which viewers will likely want to put to the test.

His son, broadcaster Roman Kemp (currently appearing in Celebrity Race Across the World with sister Harleymoon), took part in the 2019 series and came third. “He told me to go in and enjoy it all. And he said, ‘I am really jealous; I know how much fun you are going to have.’” Kemp senior reveals that, back then, he voted for Kemp junior to do the worst trials, and so expects his offspring to take revenge. “But Roman and Harley are excited. [Wife] Shirlie is more than happy too.”

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Aitch, 25, rapper

Keen not to be seen as the stereotypical “obnoxious” rapper, Aitch (real name Harrison Armstrong) is hoping to inspire a younger generation that you can achieve your goals but also raise awareness about down’s syndrome – his sister Gracie has the condition. Maybe one of the hardier contestants – he has climbed Kilimanjaro – he hates sitting around doing nothing, something that might cost him if boredom kicks in.

For Aitch, the show is a stepping stone to other opportunities. “You don’t always want to be stuck in the same world forever,” he says. “You can branch out and do other things. You don’t have to stick to the code [rap world] because you think that’s cool. I did have to cancel some gigs for it. But you are never going to branch out if you do the same thing all the time.”

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Angry Ginge, 23, content creator

With a name that sounds as if he’s jumped from the pages of Viz (he’s Morgan Burtwistle to his mother), how will this internet sensation cope without posting his football-related content on YouTube all day long? With more than a million followers, the youngest contestant in the camp is unlikely to be forgotten, and his fans will keep him at the forefront of the action, so expect lots of trial participation.

Oh, and a classic Gen Z, he’s never spent a night outside. “The closest I’ve ever done to this is the Duke of Edinburgh bronze award,” he says. “And that didn’t go down well, so I haven’t got the best of confidence coming into this. And the most people I have ever lived with are my mum and sister.”

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Shona McGarty, 34, former EastEnders actress

I’m a Celebrity… wouldn’t be complete without a recently departed soap star, and this year Shona McGarty, who played Whitney Dean in EastEnders, fits that bill. McGarty, who admits she listens to serial killer documentaries to get to sleep (“I don’t know what that says about me”), is keen to make Albert Square a distant memory for her and for viewers, and sees the show as a way of expanding her horizons.

She is coming prepared, having built a hammock in her back garden by tying a bedsheet to her gazebo, and loaded up on carbs, and is looking forward to the detox. But that all depends on what is on the menu, of course. “Everyone expects me to wear massive gold hoop earrings and have a ponytail while eating chicken nuggets,” she says. “But I am nothing like that. I’m looking forward to using this experience to be completely myself, which nobody has seen.”

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Lisa Riley, 49, Emmerdale actress

According to Riley, the popular misconception of her is that she just eats chips all day. But dietary matters are still at the forefront of her mind. She admits her worst attribute is breaking wind, and not in a Celia Imrie kind of way: “If they put beans in the diet, I’m screwed.”

Her Emmerdale co-star Danny Miller was crowned King of the Jungle in 2021, but until now she declined to appear on the show despite many offers. She has decided to take the plunge this time as she prepares to turn 50 and celebrates 10 years of sobriety. In the camp, she claims she will offer a shoulder to cry on, but will have no problem speaking her mind. “I don’t suffer fools gladly. My inner Mandy Dingle will come out if someone is mean.”

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Jack Osbourne, 40, TV personality

“Has anyone won without ever doing a Bushtucker Trial?” asks Jack Osbourne, hopefully. Like the majority of his campmates, Osbourne does not relish that prospect. He’s got previous though, with his Adrenaline Junkie series, which saw him face some hairy challenges. But is the jungle a whole different ball game or might he get the sympathy vote?

His sister Kelly and mother, Sharon, think it’s the ideal distraction following the death of his father, Ozzy, this summer. Though he begs to differ. “It’s absolutely going to be hard leaving them behind,” and says his children, wife and family at large are still suffering in the wake of his father’s death. “It is going to be difficult, that is for sure.”

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