Brave Corrie star Beverley Callard is hoping to battle through the pain barrier to take part in I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here – despite botched hip surgery leaving her in agony.
The actress’ friends believe she has what it takes to be crowned Queen of the Castle in the ITV show, which starts in November after relocating from Australia to a Welsh castle because of the pandemic.
But she has been left struggling to walk following the surgery in March and the cold, uncomfortable setting could make things even tougher for Bev if doctors give her the green light to take part.
The 63-year-old told last month how she has put off her planned exit as Liz McDonald from the ITV soap and is working hard to get back to the cobbles.
One source said: “There is still a long way to go before the show starts and Bev is determined to use this time to keep getting better. She is nothing if not a fighter.
“I’m a Celebrity may have switched from New South Wales to cold north Wales but she still hopes to be there.
“It’s been a great target for her as she continues with physio, working hard to get fit for the show in a couple of months is really helping to spur her on.
"She’s so focused, some of her friends are convinced that she will go all the way and win.”
Things went wrong for Bev after she was taken in as a day patient to have keyhole surgery on her hip – which left her in agony and needing a full hip replacement, which took place in July.
Now she is having daily physio and hydrotherapy sessions – and is planning legal action against the original hospital.
Talking previously about her sudden disappearance from Corrie, she said: “I have been gone because it has been the worst six months of my life.
“I have been in the most excruciating pain you can imagine - like teeth grinding inside my hip.
“But worse than that was the mental torture of thinking, ‘Is this the end for me?’”
She also revealed she had been considering having a stairlift installed in her home, while wondering whether her injuries would lead to her Corrie role being axed.
She said: “Liz is famous for miniskirts, stockings and high heels shoes. Not crutches and a mobility scooter.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to do my job any more. That is how bad it has been.”
She added: “There was definite doubt over whether I would walk again. I was in a state of shock and pain for months.
“It has been absolute hell.”
