TULISA’S best pal Michelle McKenna is supporting her friend while she is in the I’m A Celebrity jungle.
Whilst on the ITV reality show, the N-Dubz star’s good mate has opened up about her friend. Here we take a look at her story.
Much like her best friend Tulisa, Michelle McKenna found fame as a singer in the late noughties.
Formerly of the band Platnum, she is a Manchester-based urban dance artist.
She is known for for the 2008 hit What’s It Gonna Be with H20, and their later cover of Love Shy.
These days she works as a solo singer, and goes by the stage name Michelle Platnum.
Michelle appeared on ITV‘s Lorraine to defend her pal Tulisa after her change in appearance came unfairly under scrutiny during her time in the jungle.
The singer previously opened up about previously having Bell’s Palsy in her face.
Presenter Lorraine Kelly said: “Now look, we were talking about getting semi-permanent make-up to look like yourself.
“A lot of people have been really nasty about Tulisa and saying, ‘Oh, what has she done to her face and oh, she’s had all this work done’ when actually there is a reason, isn’t there? There’s a reason for that.”
Michelle replied: “She’s been suffering a lot with her face.
“She also had cysts, and she’s recently had them out.
“So she had an operation where they had to go in and take cysts out.
“She’s had a really terrible time.”
Lorraine then said: “Bell’s palsy is a really scary thing. It’s like your face can almost drop!”
To which Michelle replied: “It did. Like her whole face on one side was droopy.”
In November 2024, Michelle landed in Australia so that she can be the first person her best friend Tulisa sees when she leaves the I’m A Celebrity jungle.
Speaking to The Sun as she arrived down under, she talked about how she would love her good friend to find romance on the ITV reality show.
Michelle told us: “I’d love her to meet someone, honestly.
“I love Alan (Halsall), but I think they’re like little besties in there, aren’t they? I absolutely love him.
“They’d actually make a dead cute couple. We’d have to wait and see.
“He’s a Northerner – they live in the same area now. You never know!”
Asked if there could be a romance brewing with radio presenter Melvin Odoom, Michelle said: “Melvin? I think Melvin’s lovely but I don’t think he’s for T.
“I don’t know if he’s T’s type. They’ve known each other for years.
“Barry’s son [Shane], apparently he’s cute! I’m gonna play matchmaker.”
It comes after Tulisa confessed to being celibate for the last three years while chatting to her I’m a Celeb co-stars.
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.”
