Carol Vorderman has opened up about meeting the "first love of her life" ahead of her return to I'm A Celebrity for the South Africa series. The former Countdown star reminisced about a previous trip to Africa which saw her fly to Botswana when she was 19.
The 62-year-old will be back on screens on Monday, April 24 for I'm A Celebrity... South Africa, which will see some of the most memorable campmates from I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! return for an all-stars series. Those taking part include Amir Khan, Jordan Banjo, Helen Flanagan, Fatima Whitbread, Paul Burrell, Phil Tufnell, Janice Dickinson, and Shaun Ryder.
While talking about the show, Carol, who was the fifth contestant to be eliminated in 2016, recalled traveling to the African over 40 years ago after meeting the "first love of her life" while working on an engineering construction site.
Read more: Carol Vorderman says she bought a house in Wales after I'm A Celebrity changed her
She recalled: "I went to South Africa when I was 19. I met the first love of my life when I was working on an engineering construction site. My boss was 24 and we fell in love.
"His next job was in Botswana and I flew over. There were giraffes running around and I swam with Great White Sharks. I’ve not been on a safari for 40 years and I can't wait now to do the Trials. I will try everything and I will try my absolute best."
Carol, who grew up in Prestatyn, has also revealed that going on I'm A Celebrity in 2016 was such a lifechanging experience that it inspired her to buy a house in Wales.
"Doing I'm A Celebrity changed me a lot," Carol explained. "It made me realise that I was missing many things I loved and within a short space of time after leaving the camp, I bought a little house in West Wales. I love Wales and I love being out at night.
"I’ve got a converted van and I live a bit of a hippie life! I go paddle boarding all the time now. You get to a point in life where you think everything is all a bonus. You can't say 'I will do that in 20 years' time'. It made me realise that you need to live in the now.
"I want to say a big 'thank you' to Ant and Dec when I see them in South Africa and I can't wait to take part in this new series. I loved everything about I'm A Celebrity." You can read more on this here. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.
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