It looks like I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! will be returning to Wales for a second year after the Australian Prime Minister ruled out re-opening the country’s borders until 2022.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he did not believe Australians had an “appetite” for welcoming tourists if it meant having more lockdowns.
In a later post on Facebook, he warned borders would only be opened “when it is safe to do so”, and the country's budget plan confirmed "international travel is expected to remain low through to mid-2022, after which a gradual recovery in tourism is assumed to occur”.
It has been reported that this meant the 2021 show could once again take place at Gwrych Castle following a successful series last year, with Ant and Dec have saying they would be happy to come back.
An agreement to host the series again this year is also understood to have been made.
Ant McPartlin has told Digital Spy that he would be happy to stay in the UK, even though he would miss the Australian weather.
“If during coronavirus we have to stay put and do it in Wales again, I’d be very happy,” said Ant, who hosts the programme alongside Declan Donnelly.
He said they were “welcomed” in Wales, adding: “There were cardboard cutouts of me and Dec in the butcher, and the local school did a tribute."
Under current Covid rules, each I’m A Celeb cast and crew member would need to apply for individual travel exemptions in order to film the show in Australia.
The last series Down Under was won by actress Jacqueline Jossa in 2019, while the Welsh version in 2020 was won by Giovanna Fletcher.
Talks are thought to be ongoing at ITV and a source told the Mirror : “I’m A Celebrity will happen this year, it is just a case of deciding the location.”
