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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katherine Heslop

Ant and Dec 'don't chat to I'm A Celeb stars before filming trials' claims ex campmate

Controversial I'm A Celebrity contestant Gillian McKeith has given a glimpse behind the scenes of the bushtucker trials.

This season of the ITV show has so far seen the public vote for the campmates, in particular MP Matt Hancock, to face snakes, cockroaches, huge spiders and more, in the challenges.

Gillian, 63, was no stranger to the trials during her stint in 2010, and famously fainted twice on her time in the show.

Now, the You Are What You Eat star has revealed what the lead up to the trials are like, and that Ant & Dec aren't too chatty before the cameras roll.

Gillian said trials take nearly all day and she was out of the camp for hours.

Gillian McKeith's appearance on I'm A Celebrity in 2010 has gone down in the show's history (ITV)

She claims you weren't allowed to speak to anyone as you made your way to the challenges, and when she tried to speak to the guards they would not respond, which felt "very isolating".

Speaking to The Sun, Gillian said Ant & Dec weren't very talkative until filming started.

She said: "Ant and Dec don’t talk to you off camera.

"I wish they would interact with you [off camera]. I wanted them too as I felt it would have helped me a bit more but they aren't allowed to.

Gillian famously fainted live on air while in I'm A Celeb (ITV)

Gillian went on: "They just give the instructions, you certainly aren't shooting the breeze with Ant and Dec."

Despite claiming her time in the jungle left her with PTSD, Gillian is rumoured to be taking part in the I'm A Celebrity All Stars show, which sees memorable contestants from the past twenty years once more roughing it in the great outdoors.

Last year, the TV personality said of the impact of her I'm A Celeb stint: "I definitely still suffer from PTSD. Since that jungle trial, the one where I was buried under the ground in a coffin and rats landed on top of me, it still feels like yesterday.

"What has happened is, every time I have to go into a small space like a lift, I feel like I'm going to start screaming. I feel an intense rising panic that I simply can't control.

"I went in without claustrophobia and came out with it."

The All Stars edition will feature 15 show legends and is set to air next year, with Carol Vorderman and Amir Khan also reportedly in the line-up.

Gillian said Ant & Dec weren't allowed to speak to her before the cameras started rolling (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Other big names reported include Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan and singer/presenter Myleene Klass - both of whom sent temperatures soaring during their steamy shower scenes in the Australian jungle in their respective series.

In September, Ant & Dec confirmed the new should would be going ahead and will be filmed in Australia, as they shared a video on Twitter.

"South Africaaaa! That's right, we're filming a very special version of I'm A Celebrity in South Africa, which is coming to your tellies in 2023," they said.

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