EXCLUSIVE: Gillian McKeith admitted she phoned ITV lawyers to find out if her celebrity rival would be in the jungle with her, ahead of their tense reunion on I’m A Celebrity All Stars
Gillian McKeith has revealed she went to hilarious lengths to find out if her former arch nemesis would be in the jungle with her during I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! The nutritionist admitted she even called ITV ’s lawyers for answers on whether Shaun Ryder would be in the ITV camp with her.
The TV presenter who returned to the Australian jungle for the All Stars edition in 2023, admitted she was nervous about facing the former Happy Mondays frontman again after butting heads in 2010.
During an exclusive chat with Gillian in collaboration with Casino.org, she told us: “I was dreading that he might be in the jungle when I went back the second time. I kept trying to find out if he was there, and I kept trying all kinds of ways. I even called up the lawyer’s office at ITV and tried to find out, but they were wise to me. ‘No, no, Gillian, we know what you’re up to. We’re not telling you.’”
The 66-year-old said she had a “gut feeling” Shaun would be there, which made her tense ahead of filming. Their infamous clash during her first stint on the show left both parties wary of a second encounter.
“I just had a gut feeling he was going to be in there, and it made me very nervous because we just did not get along the first time around. But this time it was completely different,” she said.
Despite initial anxieties, Gillian admitted their reunion went surprisingly smoothly. “I think he was probably a bit worried when he first saw me because he probably didn’t know how I was going to react towards him. But we actually did hit it off surprisingly well, and we have stayed in touch – loosely,” she added.
When asked if she would go back a third time, she answered: “Never say never. Part of me feels that I could do better. But the only thing is that it needs to be where it’s not a competition to try and win a race, like All Stars.
“I’m a slow burn. I’m going to take time to adjust… because I’m terrified. I’m genuinely phobic. And I think a lot of people can’t understand that. When you have a phobia, you can’t just knock it out and start acting normal.
“I think my reactions are normal. I think anyone faced with things being thrown at them would act the way I act. I actually think it’s a bit abnormal to just go, “It doesn’t bother me”. How can you do that? It’s not normal.”
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