THE “smoking gun” in Janice Dickinson’s I’m A Celeb legal case against ITV is comments made by Fatima Whitbread to promote the show.
The Olympian’s concerns for the supermodel have resurfaced as the channel braces itself for a new wave of legal cases triggered by her six figure lawsuit.
The Sun revealed that Janice lodged a legal claim against ITV over her horrific fall during 2023’s I’m A Celeb spin-off in South Africa, which left her ‘scarred and traumatised’
An interview given by Janice’s Olympian campmate Fatima Whitbread to The Sun may add credibility to her case, the supermodel’s lawyers are set to claim
Lawyers will claim the comments show the whole cast felt ITV’s duty of care wasn’t met.
Fatima, 63, gave a joint interview with Janice to The Sun, shortly after her accident but before the South series aired.
In it the javelin champion said that she often lay awake at night worried her campmate would come to harm.
Fatima said: “I’m a light sleeper anyway, so I was constantly concerned about you falling down those . I was always constantly thinking about what was going on at nighttime, if there was any movement in camp, just wanted to be sure that you were safe and sound.”
Janice grimly replied: “Low and behold…”.
Janice’s accident saw her trip in the pitch dark, smash her face open and she was stretchered from camp with serious head and facial injuries.
Now those warnings have taken on new significance as Janice, 70, sues for negligence, claiming a safety night-light was left off and staff monitoring the camp were not paying attention.
A source said: “Fatima saw the risks and predicted it. She said she was worried about Janice falling and that’s exactly what happened. It shows the risk was obvious and ITV’s duty of care wasn’t met.
“And this isn’t coming from just anyone, Fatima is a highly credible figure. She’s respected and taken seriously as one of our most prominent female athletes.
“We’ve seen how she’s a tough woman, not remotely wimpy or starry.
“She also coaches other athletes and understands responsibility and safeguarding better than most.
“If even she was concerned, the feeling is it proves ITV dropped the ball.”
The case, filed by firm Taylor Hampton, has already sparked panic behind the scenes.
Insiders say the firm has been inundated with calls from other TV stars seeking advice over their own ordeals, ranging from injuries to alleged misconduct on sets of other hit shows such as and .
A source close to the action said: “It’s been non-stop since Janice went public. She’s an international celebrity and she’s shown that even ITV can be challenged. That’s made other stars feel they can finally speak up.”
A spokesperson for ITV said: “We will study Janice’s claims and the details when we receive them. IAC operates a high level of safety protocols and the , safety and welfare of all of our contributors are our number one priority.
“We don’t recognise this version of events. However, we looked after Janice at the time, paid her medical expenses, flew her home to LA, and the I’m A Celebrity team were in regular contact with Janice and her representatives on an ongoing basis after she returned home to America until after the programme aired seven months later.”
Janice, who has previously dated , and Warren Beatty and brands herself the world’s first supermodel, having first set the record for the most covers, insists ITV left her bleeding in the dark for ten minutes before help arrived.
Speaking to The Sun last weekend she said: “ITV need to take some responsibility. I was so f*cked up, my face was bloody, all cut up. It was the most frightening night of my life. The guy whose job it was to watch us was negligent. ITV had a duty of care and they let me down big time. That’s why I’m suing.”
The lawsuit argues the injuries left her scarred, traumatised and unable to work for months.
A second source said: “There’s an element of danger in the trials, but everything is supposed to be done to remove risk. Janice needed the toilet and the light didn’t turn on, how was she supposed to see? Even celebrities don’t have night vision.
If this happened in a normal workplace, unions would be rightly up in arms. But because it’s a celebrity raising the issue, it gets dismissed as diva behaviour. The truth is, everyone has the right to work in a safe environment.”
The case is expected to be heard at London’s High , though no trial date has yet been fixed.
Janice is set for a High Court showdown with ITV bosses as she claimed a crew member’s “negligent” behaviour led to her horror fall on I’m A Celeb: South Africa in 2023 
