Shaun Ryder and Gillian McKeith are the first two contestants to leave I'm a Celebrity...South Africa, following a surprise double elimination.
The former foes got the boot on Friday's episode after pairing up for the first survival trial of the series. The Savage Safari challenge saw six celebs chained together, competing to free themselves and hit a buzzer first
Campmates were taken aback after Ryder selected the TV nutritionist as his plus one, with Gillian responding: “Oh for God’s sake no!” They battled against partners Andy Whyment and Jordan Banjo, and Phil Tufnell and Georgia Toffolo, but came out last.
Whyment and Banjo were the first to free themselves, with celebs challenged to remove chain-loosening spanners from boxes filled with various creatures - including snakes. McKeith fell short after becoming paralysed with fear from touching the serpents.
During the trial, when asked if he regretted his decision to choose McKeith as his partner, Ryder replied: “A little bit… but she’s my mate now and I can’t slag my mate off.”
The pair said that they had come “full circle” following their fiery clashes during their previous appearances on I’m A Celebrity… in 2010. “Now we’re off to get married,” Ryder joked.
Following her exit, McKeith said participating in the series had been “a very positive experience”.
“It was just a different feeling when I went into camp this time,” she said. “People just seemed to be really open and wanting to get on with each other.
"There was no negativity, it felt positive from the minute I got there. Everybody wanted to gel. I could feel that it was a very different experience from 2010.”
Ryder said that he had “loved” the experience. “I’m a bit of a slow learner to say the least, so it takes me a while to adapt, but I loved it,” he said.
“Whilst you’re at it and doing it, you don’t realise and I was thinking once I left, god yeah there were some great moments in there. I was over the moon.” Earlier in the episode, tensions flared briefly in camp after several celebrities were busted over bringing contraband into camp.
Former royal butler Paul Burrell, Myleene Klass and McKeith were all found guilty of smuggling items into camp. Tufnell noted that the “drama” had made the camp atmosphere “flat”.
Toffolo told the Bush Telegraph: “There’s been a bit of a bizarre turn of atmosphere in the camp. I’m hoping everyone’s going to get a belting night’s sleep.”
Klass had brought in various spices, while Burrell had brought “a little bit of coffee”. However, campmates were shocked, and even slightly impressed, after McKeith revealed she had smuggled in “a whole tuck shop” in her underpants.
The TV nutritionist produced a range of products from her “spicy knickers”, including thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, stock cubes and 30 tea bags. “She had a whole tuck shop in her underpants,” former boxer Amir Khan told the Bush Telegraph.
I’m A Celebrity… South Africa airs weeknights at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
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