I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! bosses have axed the friends and family segment on the ITV show over Covid-19 fears.
The tear-jerking segment has been popular with viewers over the years, with fans left in tears watching the celebrities enjoy a surprise reunion with loved ones as the end of the series nears.
Fans were sobbing when King of the Jungle Harry Redknapp reunited with wife Sandra in 2018, but this year, there will no emotional scenes in the Welsh castle.
Despite producers wanting to have a relative or friend to enter Gwrych Castle in North Wales ahead of the final this weekend, bosses at ITV have decided to scrap it due to the ongoing pandemic.
It was also axed last year when the show was held for the first time at the historical estate in Abergele, with finalists Vernon Kay, Jordan North and eventual winner Giovanna Fletcher forced to miss out on seeing their families because of Covid restrictions.
According to The Sun, filming the show has been a “nightmare” amid the health crisis, and bosses have had to “trim the fat” wherever possible in order to enable I’m A Celebrity to run smoothly.
“It’s given some great content over the years, but it was just too hard to guarantee that one of them would not bring Covid, or any other illness, into the camp and jeopardise the final few days,” a source told the outlet.
A rep for ITV has yet to comment.
Producers had hoped that with the successful vaccine rollout, as well as the current booster scheme, they would be able to pull off the reunions, but the possibility one of the relatives or friends could bring Covid into the camp was too much of a risk.
They had also contemplated getting friends and family to quarantine ahead of entering the castle, like the celebrity contestants did ahead of taking part in the hit ITV show, but that proved to be a “logistical nightmare” as many would end up “doing it for nothing” if their family member was voted out.
This year, the celebrities will follow in the footsteps of last year’s contestants, and will not be greeted by a loved one when they exit the castle.
Instead, they will be interviewed by hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly in the castle, then whisked away to London to carry out more duties after leaving the show.
Producers are treading carefully on this year’s series, which has proved to be tumultuous since it began last month.
Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley, who was one of the favourites to win I’m A Celebrity this year, was forced to quit the show following a brief stint in hospital.
He fell ill overnight and was raced by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment, and despite making a quick recovery, the TV veteran was unable to return to the castle because he’d broken the strict Covid ‘bubble’ on the set.
