A FORMER I’m A Celebrity campmate has slammed her “horrendous experience” Down Under – and claimed she’s “never recovered” from the ITV series.
The TV star – who had a presenting career prior to her jungle stint – is often dubbed one of the show’s “most controversial” contestants.
Gillian McKeith, 65, caused a huge stir in the jungle during her 2010 stint, fainting before a task and even faking a pregnancy to get out of a critter-filled trial.
Now Gillian – who often clashed with Happy Mondays star Shaun Ryder in camp – has opened up on the life-changing impact of one trial.
She told of the worst I’m A Celeb Bushtucker Trial and: “It would be underground in a coffin, wrapped in chains lying down with rats and water seeping up all over my body in the pitch black.
“No way out until you can find the key to open the padlocks.
“Oh wait. I did that in my first time in the jungle.”
She added to Express.co.uk: “I never fully recovered from that horrendous experience.”
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Gillian revealed she resorted to desperate measures after the public continually voted her to do every task going back in 2010.
She revealed: “I was terrified of everything so I was constantly working myself up to different levels of craziness inside my body.
“You have access to a psychiatrist at all times and I went to speak to them at one point to ascertain how many more trials I would be doing.”
Able to see the funny side looking back, Gillian, who was 51 when she was in the jungle, explained with a laugh: “I tried everything to get out of these trials.
“I tried telling them I was pregnant and they didn’t believe me.
“I said, ‘I do actually believe I am pregnant and we really must take this seriously.'”
Gillian also hit the deck on a number of occasions as the mere thought of trials overwhelmed her.
But not everyone believed she was suffering as much as the worrying collapses suggested.
i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year..
Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.
GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.
Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”
Campmate Shaun Ryder said: “If that was real, so are my teeth.
“We get 12 meals and Gillian gets an Academy Award.”
