Jake Quickenden has given an insight into what it’s really like taking part in I’m A Celebrity, along with his thoughts on the upcoming All Stars spin-off series.
The former X Factor finalist competed in the ITV show back in 2014 where he finished runner-up to former professional motorcycle racer Carl Fogarty, who was crowned that year’s King of the Jungle.
Away from fiery camp politics and the excitement of Bush Tucker Trials, what fans don’t get to see is what goes on behind the scenes, including a certain rule the crew filming has to adhere to.
Speaking to Betway Casino, Quickenden explained: “The cameramen are not allowed to talk to you, so when you go to a trial, you’ve obviously got a few following you. I remember one of them had Tic Tacs and I was like, can I please have a Tic Tac? He obviously wasn’t allowed to talk to me and wasn’t allowed to give me one. I always used to ask them for the football scores, but they’d never talk to you. You do see people throughout the day, but it’s like you’re invisible. It’s weird but it’s so funny trying to wind them up and getting them to talk.”
The All Stars edition, which marks the 20th anniversary of the show, will begin on Monday and see a number of past campmates including Carol Vorderman and Helen Flannigan return to go head-to-head.
A number of changes have been announced, including swapping the filming location of the Australian jungle for South Africa and instead of just playing for meals, contestants will be going up against each other in the trials to stay in.
While he openly admits he wasn’t invited to take part in the new show, Quickenden says he would definitely be up for it should the concept take off.
He said: “I think the line-up is great, but I think it would have maybe made a tiny little bit better if I was in there. It is what it is, though. It’s been 20 years, there’s been so many people. You never know, they might do a few more All Stars and I’d love to get involved. But I think the cast that they’ve got is great. You’ve got a real mix of people from the old school version, with some people that were really terrified of certain things. So yeah, I think it’s going to be great.”
