Jamie Lomas has revealed a close friend died on the day he entered the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! camp.
The former Hollyoaks star, 42, shared his heartbreak during an appearance on Loose Women on Monday, saying he had no idea about his pal’s death until the show ended.
Jamie said: “One of my close friends passed away the day I went into the jungle. He was a top, top man and they tried to contact me in the jungle, but because he wasn’t immediate family, they can’t let you know.”
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Jamie continued: “It’s his funeral on Wednesday. He’s a great guy.”
The actor said he found out about his friend’s death when he got his mobile phone back and realised his pals had created a ‘tribute’ group.
“I came out of the jungle and we had this WhatsApp group called ‘Tribute’. He was a bit of a wind up so I thought he could be winding us up, but the messages kept coming through; it went on and on.
“It was just heartbreaking. I just started reading them and it dawned on me what had happened.
“It was just horrible.”
When asked if he would have continued with I’m A Celebrity if he’d known, Jamie said: “I can’t answer that.”
Jamie was also not told about daughter Polly being taken to hospital while he was in the jungle.
The six-year-old, whose mum is Jamie’s ex wife Kym Marsh, was treated for croup while he was over in Australia.
Thankfully, she’s alright now, with Jamie telling the panel: “I didn’t know. She had croup. She’s fine. She’s a little warrior.”
Jamie finished I’m A Celebrity in second place, behind Queen of the Jungle, Georgia ‘Toff’ Toffolo, from Made In Chelsea.
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He said today: “Toff was a worthy winner. Tough Toff, as I called her. She did great. Everybody was a winner in my eyes. And to go through that experience together, as a group… unless you’ve done it, you can’t explain it.”
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV.