Jane Moore has revealed that she decided to join this year’s I’m a Celeb after witnessing her elderly mother’s life being “slowly eroded” by Alzheimer’s disease.
The journalist, who is a regular on Loose Women, disclosed that she had been approached multiple times in the past by the ITV show’s bosses but had always turned them down.
However, this year, she decided to take the plunge and is now one of the first ten celebrities in the jungle. Jane, 62, expressed her desire for “adventure,” having spent a lot of time alone since her split from husband Gary Farrow in 2022.
She said: “Certain close friends have died too young, so I consider myself very lucky to still be here with, touch wood, no serious ailments, and I want to make the most of the active years I have left.”
She added: “Added in to the mix is that my elderly mother is living with dementia and is in need of 24/7 care. Seeing her once vibrant life being slowly eroded by Alzheimer’s has brought my own in to sharp focus and, cliché I know, reminded me that our time on this planet is short. So when this once-in-a-lifetime experience was offered to me again, my immediate thought this time was, ‘Why not?’.”
Jane took to her Sun column to open up about her mum’s struggles ahead of the new series, which kicks off on Sunday. The hard-working journo, also a mother of three, shared further details about the rigorous selection procedure she underwent, including trips to the production team’s HQ in west London and undergoing a health check, reports the Mirror.
“Having passed the medical and psych test, there followed a blissful couple of weeks of utter denial as I went about my daily life. Then came the titles shoot and official photo. For the titles (the bit where you swivel round and smile to camera at the top of the show) I wore my own clothes. For the latter, it was the famous outfit that, once I saw myself in it, meant any further denial was futile,”Jane reflected in her piece.
Jane is emulating Loose Woman colleague Janet Street-Porter who back in 2004 graced the fourth series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! where she made it to the later stages before becoming the sixth person to be sent packing.
Linda Robson too joined the jungle camp in 2012 but was the third celebrity axed from the show.
The betting odds are tipping Danny Jones, McFly’s lead vocalist and guitar maestro, to grab the crown this year. Some bookies are offering odds as short as 4-1 for the 38 year old rocker, who was spotted touching down in Australia first come Monday.
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