A FORMER I’m A Celebrity star is mourning the loss of a beloved family member a year after leaving the camp early.
The star, who quit the jungle in 2023, has shared her grief on social media and has received a blanket of support.
Masterchef star Grace Dent has opened up about the death of her dog, Tess, in an heartbreaking post.
The food critic penned the sad news on social media and said her final farewell.
The emotional post read: “Goodbye Tess. Your watch is over. We loved you so very much. I hope you’ve found mam’s place by now.
“She’s feeding you Asda reduced-price ham out the packet, watching Tipping Point, with the fire on full.
“Every day will be a lake walk, a chance to lose tennis balls then buttered toast for tea. Look after each other.”
She previously wrote in The Guardian about losing a pet: “It is OK not to be remotely OK; normal to mourn this like a human death – or, in some cases, more so.
“This is, after all, a living being, with an abundance of nicknames and preferred bedtimes, and a unique “Ace! You’re home!” welcoming dance. Love is love, and that is the thing I feel.”
On leaving the jungle prematurely, the columnist admitted at the time that quitting the jungle early was the biggest regret of her life.
The 51-year-old Masterchef star left camp on day ten on medical grounds after finding life in camp hard.
The top food critic quit the 2023 series starring campmates including Nigel Farage, Jamie Lynn Spears, Marvin Humes and show winner Sam Thompson.
At the time, she admitted on ITV1’s spin-off special I’m A Celebrity…Coming Out: “Leaving my campmates and the girls will be the greatest regret of my life.”
Fans believe the exact moment Grace decided to quit came when she was voted to do her fourth trial.
She confessed to Josie that she’d had her fill and admitted: “I’ve had enough. I’ve completely had enough. I just want to go home.”
Explaining about her early exit, she told followers: “I spent 15 days without a phone or any contact with loved ones, living much of the time outdoors in a rain forest in very wet weather.
“It gave me a short, sharp glimpse into the pain some folk worldwide endure. Normal life, forever, will always feel beautiful.
“Until now, I had no idea I could find a mental space where I could calmly climb down the side of a sky scraper and then slide out on a pole, unlocking stars, as the cars below on the street felt the size of ants.
“I had no idea it was possible to be shown an American football helmet and be informed I was shortly to be locked in at the neck and filled to the eyebrows with cockroaches, and for me to think ‘OK this is doable, the trick is to breathe’.
“For as long as I live, I shall never forget the cockroach that entered my ear canal and the sound of its little feet creeping closer down to my brain. It took us two goes to lure him out. Sat on the grass behind the ‘Scarena’ he finally washed up.”
She followed fellow jungle escapees Gemma Collins, Richard Madeley, Natalie Appleton and Daniella Westbrook who also made an early exit from their respective camps.
