I’m A Celebrity host Ant McPartlin didn’t mince his words about an upcoming campmate.
The ITV camp is set for a shakeup as two new faces, former Love Island star Maura Higgins and Reverend Richard Coles, are confirmed to be joining the Australian jungle.
Maura will be the second Love Islander to ever participate in I’m A Celebrity, following Olivia Attwood’s brief stint. Meanwhile, Reverend Richard Coles revealed to the Mirror that his jungle preparation involved eating 5000 calories a day on a cruise and avoiding ‘triggering’ nature documentaries.
Before Richard and Maura entered camp, hosts Ant and Dec shared their thoughts on the newcomers on the spin-off show I’m A Celebrity…Unpacked. Ant was candid in his assessment of Richard, comparing him to Maura.
He believes Maura will inject fun and energy into camp, while Richard will provide stability and calmness. Ant added: “More people might know her,” referring to Maura and how the public might react to her entrance.
Viewers also picked up on the comment, with one saying: “Ant is just dying to stir things up in there… they want the conflict but I like the harmony.”
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Another added: “The good thing about unpacked is that Ant and Dec are actually unfiltered and are showing their annoyance towards campmates.” Someone else commented: “Can always tell when Ant n Dec are frustrated at c**p trial efforts.”
Richard, formerly of the 80s band the Communards, has shared his unique approach to preparing for jungle life. Speaking with the Mirror, he admitted: “I would like to say that I’ve been lowering my calorie intake to prepare for that, but that’s not worked out so far. I’ve been trying not to look at nature programs about the horrors of Australia.”
The musician also revealed his concern about being a disturbance in the camp due to his snoring, saying, “everybody wanting to kill me because I keep them awake at night.”
Maura, another contestant gearing up for the jungle challenge, expressed her determination to represent former Love Island stars well.
In her chat with the Mirror, she said: “I just don’t want to let people down, because everyone’s been DMing me, saying ‘Oh my God, I hope you’re doing the show.’ I don’t want to back out of the trials and be the biggest wimp in the camp.”
She also recounted her mother’s shock upon learning of her participation: “She nearly died. She went: ‘Maura, how are you going to do that? ‘ She is baffled as I’m more of an indoor girl…I like my hotels. I’ve never slept outside.”
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