Nigel Farage has admitted I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is likely to be a massive flop as fans won’t be seeing a whole lot of him in the jungle.
The 59-year-old former UKIP leader turned GB News presenter will be ruled out of many of this year’s Bushtucker Trials due to a long list of health issues.
Sharing just how much his ailments will impact his time in camp, Nigel – who is understood to be the highest paid star of 2023 – predicted his appearance is going to be a ‘complete, total car crash. A disaster.’
The former Conservative, UKIP and Brexit Party supporter is dipping his toe into reality TV with a stint on the ITV series, where he will be seen heading into camp this weekend to meet his fellow contestants including This Morning host Josie Gibson, reality star Sam Thompson and former EastEnders actress Danielle Harold.
Nigel will be hoping his fellow campmates will be the ones bringing home the stars as he reveals his many chronic injuries will automatically rule him out of a number of challenges on medical grounds.
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Revealing which trials he won’t be taking part in, Nigel said: “Anything involving weightlifting, I’d be out because I’ve obviously had some quite serious physical injuries and neck reconstructions and goodness knows what else,” he told The Sun.
“I doubt that any of the trials are actually going to kill me, although I don’t think they’ll all be a bag of fun. But hey look, I signed up for this. It’s in for a penny in for a pound. So let’s go.”
Nigel is rumoured to be the highest paid celeb in I’m A Celeb’s 22 year history with a rumoured pay cheque of £1.5million.
Despite his reservations about the show’s famously nerve-jangling trials, Nigel was spotted grinning as he took part in the first trial of the series. The TV host was seen at a brand new challenge at Alice Springs, 2000 miles away from camp, alongisde Josie Gibson and Nella Rose.
Speaking ahead of the series executive producer Laura Woolf told the Mirror: “The launch show is bigger and there are things we have never done before. One of the trials we have got this year is the highest rig we have ever done in Australia.
“And there won’t be a split camp this time, they will all come to the main camp by the end of the first show and it is nice they will all be together.”
Filming for another first trial saw soap star Danielle Harold screaming as she crawled along a pole high up in the sky.
Four of the celebs – Grace Dent, Sam Thompson, Fred Sirieix and Danielle Harold – all took part in the revamped Walk The Plank challenge that saw them having to make their way along a pole on the top of a building 100 metres high, whilst unfurling a flag.
In the new pole challenge the famous faces found themselves on top of the Focus Building in Surfers Paradise trying to release a flag which had a star symbol on it.
After walking down a ladder they had to edge out and could be seen clinging to a cylindrical metal pole on all fours as they tried to edge along with the star, which helped to then release the flag bit by bit.
Former EastEnders star Danielle, 32, and Fred, 51, went first and Danielle could be seen grimacing before she got to the pole, briefly slumping to the floor and wiping her eyes before she began. She could then be heard screaming as she struggled to not look down from the pole.
Fred got his flag open first and then appeared to shout encouragement to Danielle who also managed to finish. She got hoisted back safely on the top of the building hosts Ant and Dec gave her a celebratory hug.
A show source said: “Danielle bounced back brilliantly, she really struggled to make it onto the pole at all but she was very determined and did herself proud.”
Next it was the turn of Sam and Grace, and Made In Chelsea star Sam looked nervously over the edge of the building before he took his chance. A source said: “Sam was very anxious and had several pep talks from members of the crew.
“At one point he could be seen saying ‘yes yes yes’ and then Grace cupped his face and spoke reassuring words before they were called over by Ant and Dec.” Grace, 50, was first down onto the pole but it was Sam who beat her to the end of the challenge and got his flag open. Sam then shouted: “Go on Grace,” as he encouraged his campmate to complete the challenge.
Determined Grace then got to the end of the pole and raised her arms aloft in celebration as she was winched to safety, blowing kisses at Ant and Dec.
The full drama from the Focus building will be part of the opening I’m A Celebrity show on ITV on Sunday night at 9pm.
Show bosses were lucky, as minutes after the challenge finished a huge thunderstorm erupted with rain and hail which would have made the task impossible. Crew rushed to clear the filming area amidst the torrential rain and the contestants were whisked away in waiting cars.
