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EastEnders legend explains why they TURNED DOWN I’m A Celebrity offer

They have very strong feelings on it

With I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! just around the corner (woohoo!) there has been the inevitable speculation about which stars will be jetting out to the jungle.

Well, there is one famous face we can DEFINITELY check off the list of possible campmates.

EastEnders legend Pam St Clement aka Pat Butcher has revealed producers have been in touch to offer her a spot in the jungle but she’s TURNED THEM DOWN!

Er, why, you ask?

Well, she’s told Daily Star the whole experience just isn’t for her.

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“I have been asked, but I wouldn’t do it, no,” she said.

“I don’t like reality television, but only because I would rather the money was spent on drama.

“Also, I’m not prepared to be sacrificed for the sake of entertainment.”

Big words!

To be fair, we don’t blame her – yes, I’m A Celebrity looks like a pretty amazing experience but also, hello, mosquitos, snakes, spiders and Bush Tucker Trials… not for everyone!

Of course, Pam isn’t the first celeb to turn down the show.

Fellow soap star Julie Goodyear, best known as Corrie’s Bet Lynch, reportedly said no because there was no smoking on the long flight, while Piers Morgan and Heather Mills have also declined offers.

On the flipside, there are scores of celebrities desperate for their chance to survive in the Aussie wilderness.

A slew of big names have been linked to the new series including Hollyoaks’ Jamie Lomas, Coronation Street’s Jennie McAlpine, The Saturdays’ Vanessa White and Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby.

Meanwhile, former I’m A Celeb camper Gemma Collins has dropped a HUGE hint that she’s getting ready to fly back to Australia to give the show a second go.

Gem set tongues wagging this week when she shared a photo to Instagram showing packed luggage and the caption: “Always on the move.”

Given her post came just before I’m A Celebrity returns to screens and after spinoff show hosts Scarlett Moffatt and Joe Swash jetted off to Oz, it inevitably raised eyebrows that she’s been given a second chance at the jungle.

Gemma lasted just three days in the jungle during her first attempt at the show and later admitted she hadn’t been in the right headspace for the programme because of events in her personal life.

She told The Sun at the time: “The jungle was harder than I ever expected, I am just not as strong as I thought I was.

“A personal and very serious incident that happened to me hours before I flew to Australia affected me in camp far more than I could have imagined and I just couldn’t carry on in there.”

But fast forward three years and apparently the time is right.

According to The Sun, even jungle co-host Declan Donnelly has backed GC’s return.

“Gemma has been backed by Dec. He thought she was really good [last time she was on] and he told Gemma she would be great if she came back to the show,” said a source.

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“Producers know there’s a bit of heat around her right now so she would be great on the show.

“Gemma really wants a chance to prove herself and set the record straight.”

As I’m A Celeb bosses won’t confirm the line-up until launch night, only time will tell if GC is really giving the jungle another go.

We can’t wait!


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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