Most people know former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! contestant Helen Flanagan for playing Rosie Webster in Coronation Street between 2000 and 2018 (albeit with a few breaks in between). At the age of nine, she first stepped onto Weatherfield's cobbled street as Kevin and Sally's mischievous daughter and since leaving the show - first in 2012 and then in 2018 - has appeared on various reality shows, including I'm A Celebrity...
Now, she is returning to the jungle for its brand new I'm A Celebrity... South Africa in its all star line up. The show is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special series to commemorate the occasion in which previous campmates return to the jungle to battle it out to become the first ever Jungle Legend.
Starting on Monday, April 24 at 9pm on ITV1, I'm A Celebrity... South Africa will see the likes of Carol Vorderman, Jordan Banjo, Paul Burrell, and leave their life of luxury behind and embark on a series of bushtucker trials while surviving in the jungle on the renowned rice and beans. Here's everything you need to know.
Read more: I'm A Celebrity South Africa: Carol Vorderman's stomach-churning challenge as fans get a sneak peek
But who is Helen Flanagan? What has she been up to since leaving Coronation Street? Who is her professional footballer former partner and what are her thoughts on returning to the jungle?
Helen Flanagan's career
Helen Flanagan first appeared on Coronation Street as Rosie Webster at the age of nine in 2000. Over the course of the next 18 years Helen found herself tied up in a number of juicy storylines, from her affair with John Stape to her kidnapping (also by John Stape) as well as her aspirations of being a reality star and model and moving to London - one which lead to her having her own spin-off called Just Rosie.
The actress, 32, left Corrie in 2012 to pursue other projects and was the year she participated in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in which finished seventh place, before going on to appear on several reality television and game shows.
These included shows like Celebrity Super Spa, Celebrity Wedding Planner, Hell's Kitchen, Celebrity Juice, Virtually Famous, I Love My Country - among others - as well as returning to acting to play agency nurse Kirsty Brompton in an episode of Holby City in 2014.
In 2017, Rosie Webster was revived but not for long as Helen left again in June 2018. Now, she is returning to the jungle in 2023's I'm A Celebrity... South Africa.
Helen's original I'm A Celeb... stint
Helen first went on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2012 alongside Hugo Taylor, Ashley Roberts, Charlie Brooks (who won), Colin Baker, Limahl, Brian Conley, Nadine Dorries, Rosemary Shrager, Eric Bristow and David Haye.
Sadly, Helen didn't make it very far in the show, being eliminated seventh after receiving the fewest public votes, following in Eric Bristow's shoes, who was eliminated 8th.
During her time in the jungle, Helen was voted for by the public to take part in seven Bushtucker Trials, which saw her bringing home mixed results. As reported by The Mirror, Helen recalls her experience in the jungle in 2012 as 'ridiculous' in relation to her attempt and said: "I just got absolutely destroyed. It was just ridiculous. I was just like, ‘Oh, I’ll be fine. I’ll chill in my bikini, make some friends, it will be good for me…’ I’d watched a few episodes but I didn’t watch it in detail. I was only just YouTubing things when I was on my plane, then I was thinking, ‘It won’t be that bad’."
She added: “I was horrified. I’ll never forget it. When I arrived at the camp there were rats everywhere. I’d never seen a rat. I was just absolutely thrown. I felt sick. I was so scared. I was just horrified by everything."
Now entering the jungle more than a decade later, Helen said: “It’s going to be different. I was only 22 back then and I am 32 now. I have grown up a lot and I’ve had three children and I’ve gone through three labours! I won’t not finish the trials because my mindset will be very different this time around. When I went in the jungle the first time, I didn’t prepare at all. I didn’t have a clue what I had let myself in for and I cried even when my phone got taken off me after landing in Australia. I want to make my children proud when I take part this time.”
She added: "I am not saying I am going to go in and be a jungle warrior and be absolutely amazing because I will not. Yes I will be scared but I will have a go and I will be a lot better than last time... I am just going to be brave and get on with it."
Personal life, health and plastic surgery
Helen is mother to three children, Matilda Jessica, 7, Delilah, 4, and Charlie, 2, who she shares with her former partner of 13 years, English pro footballer Scott Sinclair. Having got engaged to her Scott in 2018 while expecting their second child, it was confirmed in October 2022 that she and the Bristol Rovers player were no longer an item - although the reason has not been made public knowledge.
Helen has also been very open with her fans and followers about her health, in particular suffering with a pregnancy condition named hyperemesis gravidarum, which she experienced while she was pregnant with her children. The condition sees expecting mothers experience severe sickness, dehydration, nausea and weight loss which is believed to be caused the a rise in hormone levels.
Taking to her Instagram stories when she was ill with a sickness bug after having her children - which brought memories of 'HG' back - she said: "HG is not morning sickness and it's not something you can just get on with. Also telling someone with HG to eat a ginger biscuit really does not help. I get a lot of direct messages from other women on HG. It's a comfort to know you're not just on your own. For me it lasted around three months. Medication worked with Delilah. Nothing worked with Charlie.
"The worst was 100% not being able to look after the girls. What worked for me was lots of rest, lots of help with children... Even though you can't face it eating little and often. Sipping lemonade worked for me. Medication worked with Delilah."
Another thing Helen has been open about is her choice to have breast enhancing surgery after experiencing "so much change" after becoming a mother. When she stopped breastfeeding, she revealed that she underwent breast surgery.
She told her Instagram followers at the time: "I think it's because I was quite big and busty before. There's no other nice way, I keep trying to think of a nicer way to say it. But they just sagged. There's no nicer way to say it, but they just became really saggy and I can't think of a better way to say it and it just affected my confidence." Read more on that here.
Helen Flanagan's net worth
The Corrie actress and model's net worth is approximately £3 million.
I'm A Celebrity... South Africa starts on Monday, April 24 at 9pm on ITV1.
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