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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Will Twigger

I'm A Celeb preparations underway as crew transforms 'haunted' castle into spooky set

I'm A Celebrity preparations are underway on an abandoned Welsh castle after the series was moved to the UK for the first time in its history.

ITV told last week that their flagship celeb show wouldn't go ahead in the usual Australia after travel restrictions amid coronavirus proved too big a hurdle to jump.

And despite "moving heaven and earth" to make it happen Down Under, bosses settled on the UK for its new spot.

Reports soon emerged that north Wales' abandoned Gwyrch Castle, over 200 years old having been built by a wealthy lord in the 1800s, would be the new site.

And the ruins of the castle would provide a perfect combination of rugged wilderness and the spooky, guaranteed to give the new roster of famous faces a fright.

Ant and Dec are returning for the show's 20th anniversary - but for the first time, it will be held in the UK (ITV)

It's also become a local legend that the ruins are haunted by the spirit of past owner, Winifred Cochrane, Countess of Dundonald, who died in 1924.

Ant and Dec are returning, and at the end of the series will crown a King or Queen of the Castle.

They'll no doubt be swapping shorts and T-shirts for windbreakers as they put the celebs through the ringer in new BushTucker trials.

The Geordie co-hosts will have to adjust to the wet, windswept weather - rather than the Aussie sunshine (ITV)

While no names have as of yet been confirmed, you can check out all the rumours here.

Snaps of Gwyrch Castle have surfaced since last week, showing a construction crew combing through the ruins to craft the perfect setting for the new show, which is expected to land in November.

Towers loom over the main yard of the castle, but not as high as the crane that looked to be lowering things into place.

Trucks are also present, and cordons are in place to stop the general public wandering through.

While it wasn't clear what they were doing, diggers could be seen at work near the castle's main entrance.

Meanwhile the inner walls were lined with scaffolding, maybe making it safe for the celebs to inhabit during the three week-long show.

A "Danger Keep Out" sign was placed above an archway, while many others were boarded up.

The snaps also give us a better look at some of the castle's exterior, including the imposing walls where vines and plantlife have crept their way into the stonework.

One photo, taken from a battlement, gives a sense of the scope of the castle, the crane and construction crew busy at work in the distance.

An aerial shot demonstrates how the sprawling ruins dominate the landscape, spreading across a hill and merging with the dense woodland behind.

I'm A Celebrity is expected to return in November, for it's 20th anniversary show.

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