AFTER lasting just three days on I’m A Celebrity, the smart money wouldn’t be on Gemma Collins winning the show’s all-stars edition.
But shared the surprising news that she was so brave, she dubbed herself Lara Croft
The I’m A Celebrity… South Africa 2 line-up: Seann Walsh, Craig Charles, Gemma Collins, Ashley Roberts, Scarlett Moffatt, Beverley Callard, Sinitta, Adam Thomas and Harry RedknappCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Gemma leads the late arrivals on s South African edition, which was recorded last year but airs next month.
At the launch yesterday she said: “This was total redemption for me. I just thought, I have to go back into that jungle.
“I was petrified. My make-up artist slapped me at Heathrow Airport because I said, ‘I don’t think I can go through with this’.
“But, I took a deep breath, went in strong, and shut it down.
“It’s not the GC in there, it’s Gemma Collins, as you’ve never seen her before. You’ll see me thinking I’m Lara Croft.”
However, Campmate did trick her into saying the end-game phrase: “Get me out of here!”
She added: “Harry played a dirty prank on me, and I fell for it. This guy deserves an Oscar, because I fully believed him.”
There was a score to settle for soap icon , too.
She was desperate for some sunshine after freezing in the Welsh castle during the pandemic series.
She laughed: “My bedroom was minus one degree! After the first two days, we did not shower.
“It was so cold under that watering can, we didn’t bother.”
Her digs in the Kruger National Park were far from luxurious, though, as she was dumped in the Savannah Scrub with and .
She added: “The dunny had no door! You’d go to wee, and you’d go ‘don’t come near me, I’m still here’.”
Red Dwarf legend Craig Charles wanted to brave the Bush for a special reason as well.
He added: “The last time it was quite cruelly cut short because my brother Dean passed away, so when they came back and asked, I just thought, yeah.
“But as soon as I hit 60, my stamina has fallen off a cliff. So, I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to do it!”
returns next month on ITV1.
I NEED A KITCHEN
signed up so she can revamp her own celebrity camp.
She said: “I did the main show, then Extra Camp, I did the podcast.
“And I need a new kitchen.
“Obviously we all do it because we love it. But we also need to pay the mortgage.
“And if we can do that by eating a few kangaroo testes, why not?”
COMIC Seann Walsh said: “I was in a helicopter, and obviously it was terrifying, but of course, the first time I was in [the show ], I went in with Matt Hancock, so it wasn’t as scary as that.”
CELEBS ALL SET FOR A CLIFFHANGER – OR TWO
ANT and DEC have seen it all in their 24 years on I’m A Celebrity – but their new run in South Africa threw them an eyepopping ‘first’.
said the food trials “go up a level.”
Ant and Dec saw a first on the new South Africa seriesCredit: Unknown
Ant and Dec said one trail is now the longest everCredit: Instagram
One trial took so long, it is now on record as the longest trial ever.
added: “It was five hours!”
The trials are all supersized for the all-stars show.
Dec explained: “After his first trial, David Haye was a bit shell shocked. And he was like, ‘wow, this is much tougher than before’.
“We start off on a huge balancing board, hanging off the side of a cliff.
“Then we’ve got a full-sized train set that the celebrities are in. There’s another one which is like 140ft in the air.
“There’s a 50ft game of snakes and ladders.”
Adam Thomas was dubbed Mr Bushtucker Trial last time, as he was so good at the games.
But he added: “This was so much tougher, bigger and harder than ever before.”
And singer Sinitta can’t believe that she even took part.
She added: “I think it was AI, because it can’t be me doing that.
“I saw a clip and I’m like, actually, I can’t even look at it because it’s so horrible to watch.
“And I can’t believe it’s me doing it.
AMERICAN Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts speaks fondly of the impact of being on I’m A Celeb in 2012.
She said: “The reason I’m in the UK, the reason I feel like an adopted Brit, is because of this show.
“So, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to say yes’.”
HARRY’S LEG-UP
HARRY REDKNAPP had a pal in camp . . . one of his former players, Jimmy Bullard.
The football legend said: “I signed Jimmy as a player! I was managing West Ham.
“I got a call from his manager, who said, ‘We’ve got a good young player here’.
“I took him on trial for three months. He went on and had a really good career.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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