Gillian McKeith is back… (Picture: ITV)
Gillian McKeith has clarified why she’s made a shock return to I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 13 years after she fainted during the Bushtucker trials.
After the opening episode of I’m A Celebrity South Africa, the TV nutritionist was confirmed to be making her unexpected return to the jungle, joining the likes of Carol Vorderman, Phil Tufnel, Janice Dickinson and Helen Flanagan.
The news might come as a shock to everyone who remembers McKeith’s first time on I’m A Celebrity when she managed to upset her camp mates who went starving as she quit trial after trial.
The You Are What You Eat star, 63, is even more ‘apprehensive and petrified’ this time around, but she has a new motive for doing it all over again.
‘I feel I’ve got a calling to represent all the scaredy cats in Britain – and that is the reason why I’ve said yes,’ she said.
This time, the public won’t be voting for the camp mate to take on a Bushtucker trial, which will be welcomed news to this year’s line-up after McKeith was previously nominated to do eight consecutive Bushtuckers.
The You Are What You Eat star fainted at Bushtucker trials (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
It was I’m A Celebrity gold (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
During the live trial, she famously fainted. She still insists, however, that the faints were all real and not an attempt to get out of doing another trial.
‘I have a history of fainting since childhood,’ explained McKeith. ‘The day before we did the live Trial, I hadn’t had much to eat and I wasn’t feeling very well – which is the precursor to passing out.
‘I have fainted several times and not just in the jungle. I even fainted at a wedding once when I was the bridesmaid. They were about to say: “do you take this man to be your husband?” and I passed out.
‘Sometimes you can stop yourself if you get close to the ground but the problem with the jungle is there were all these leeches and so there was no way I was going to throw myself on the ground.
‘But I have never been able to forget about my fainting in the jungle! I have been reminded about I’m A Celebrity every single day since I came out by taxi drivers and people in the street! They all talk about it as if it were yesterday.
‘They say I was entertaining. It might have been for them but it certainly wasn’t for me!’
I’m A Celebrity South Africa continues tomorrow night at 9pm on ITV.
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