The trust behind the North Wales castle in the latest series of I'm a Celebrity... Get me out of Here ignored requests from ITV - because they thought they were 'spam'.
Eventually, the channel shelled-out £300,000 to use Gwrych Castle, in Abergele, which has saved many jobs in the area.
But it could have been a lot different, says head of the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, Mark Baker, who admitted he'd never even seen the show.
Mark Baker revealed the huge fee has saved the castle and helped out locals, reports the Mirror.
He said: “I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement before anyone from ITV so much as visited, and the actual name of the programme was never confirmed until we were very close to signing contracts in July.
"It would usually take us over two years to raise £300,000.
"With the second wave of Covid, the programme has saved not only us but many local businesses.
"Hundreds of jobs have kept going because ITV have employed them on site.”
Baker also told Radio Times the word “castle” shouldn’t suggest anything luxurious to the celebrities.
ITV has spent months preparing the site for the latest series of the reality show, but this has made it "safe" rather than comofrtable.
Beforehand the condition of Gwrych Castle's ancient masonry meant members of the public weren't allowed inside.
Baker added only water supply is at the end of the long driveway leading up to the castle, so there may not be much in the way of a jungle shower.
The £300,000 will also allow a roof to be put on part of the structure after the show is finished, as Baker's dream is to restore it fully.
Baker also spoke to Tatler magazine this week about the ITV show coming to the castle and his attachment to the ruins.
He fell in love with the castle as an 11-year-old and also created the Gwrych Castle Trust which managed to raise £1million to buy the property in 2018.
Baker plans to use some of the ITV money for a bid to get £5million of lottery funding for restoring the castle.
A full interview with Mark Baker appears in this week's Radio Times magazine, out now.
