The prospect of eating fermented eggs washed down with blitzed turkey balls and pulped crocodile foreskin obviously isn’t for everyone – no matter the fee, or the amount of times producers ask.
So as I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! looms ever closer – with Holly Willoughby joining Declan Donnelly as co-host this year – here are some of the celebrities who’ve been very vocal about turning down an offer of appearing on the ITV show… And their reasons why.
1. Lisa Riley
The Age Before Beauty star has admitted that she’s lost count of the amount of times she’s been asked to do I’m a Celebrity – although she finds the offer “flattering”, she’s not into it at the moment. Or ever. Till the end of time…
“I’m not going in the jungle,” she clarified to Prima UK. “They do ask me every year… It is insane [the fee]… It is flattering , but I did say this is utter baloney. I’d never do it in a million years.”
2. Piers Morgan
The Good Morning Britain presenter has revealed why he’s turned down I’m a Celebrity on a few occasions – his parents would “disown him” if he ever ate kangaroo balls live on TV.
“My parents have only ever had one conversation with me about something that would cross a line, and think of the things I’ve put them through!” Piers said on GMB.
“They were like, ‘your father and I discussed this, and if you were ever to go into I’m A Celebrity and eat all of those kangaroo things, we’d have to disown you.'”
He added: “I like spiders and I like snakes, that’s why I’d be very good in the jungle.
“Unfortunately I have no desire to parade myself with a load of z-listers eating kangaroo testicles.”
Such a shame.
3. Warwick Davis
The Star Wars actor said I’m a Celeb bosses wanted him to take part on the show – but he declined before any fees were even offered.
“I get asked to do a lot of reality shows,” he told the Daily Star. “I love watching them but they don’t appeal to me as a performer. I’m A Celebrity got in touch, but I didn’t even find out what I would be getting paid.”
He added: “At the moment I’m busy enough with other stuff.”
4. Julie Goodyear
The former Coronation Street star was up for appearing on the show – with one condition.
Celebrity TV producer and journalist Lisa Mary London made the claim in her book Reality Rehab, revealing (via The Sun’s serialisation): “Soap legend Julie Goodyear frustrated me when she rang in person to say she’d love to do the show if we could get her to Australia by boat.
“A 23-hour flight without frequent cigarette breaks was out of the question for the chain-smoking soap diva.”
5. James Arthur
Not even a reported £250,000 could tempt the former X Factor winner to take part on another reality TV show.
“I got offered loads of reality shows including I’m A Celebrity and Celebrity Big Brother,” the singer told Daily Star.
“They were life-changing amounts of money. The most I got offered was £250,000 for CBB, which I really needed at the time, not knowing if I had a career. I’m a huge fan of those shows but I don’t think there’s any chance I would be back at No. 1 now if I’d gone down that route.
“I wasn’t sure how seriously people would take me after doing reality TV.”
6. Michaela Strachan
The Springwatch presenter says she could never take part on I‘m a Celebrity because she could never eat the wildlife she’s spent her career celebrating.
“I would like me and Chris [Packham] to both go on Strictly Come Dancing on the same year and compete and that’s because I know it would be the one thing that I would be so much better than him at,” she told The List.
“I couldn’t do [I’m a Celebrity], we wouldn’t be eating the animals – we’d be championing them!”
7. Stephanie Pratt
The former Hills and MiC star may have braved the Celebrity Big Brother house with the likes of Gary Busey and James Jordan, but she’s said there’s “not enough money in the world” to persuade her to do I’m a Celebrity.
“I definitely couldn’t do I’m A Celebrity or Bear Grylls or any of those,” the reality TV star told Metro. “There’s not enough money in the world.
“When I saw the jungle for the first time here, I thought, ‘How is this legal?’ They’re burying people in coffins underground covered in rats. Crickets are so gross.”
8. Judge Rinder
The star enjoyed the safe space of the Strictly Come Dancing dance-floor and has no plans to venture into the unknown of the jungle. Or eat kangaroo nethers.
“I only did Strictly because that was completely different and because dancing was my love,” he told Telly Mix. “You won’t see me devouring kangaroo bollocks.”
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