Last One Laughing UK star Gbemisola Ikumelo has finally explained what happened when she suddenly disappeared from the show – but it’s no laughing matter.
The Black Ops star, 40, has revealed that she had to leave the show early after “throwing up” on set while sitting with Jimmy Carr and Roisin Conaty.
Ikumelo proved herself to be a worthy competitor on the Prime Video series – which challenges 10 comedians to last six hours in a room without smiling or giggling, while trying to make one another laugh. The comic lasted four episodes before becoming the first to chuckle her way out of the competition.
However, while eliminated stars are invited to sit with hosts Jimmy Carr and Roisin Conaty in the control room, Carr told viewers that Ikumelo wasn’t “feeling well” and so had to leave the control room.
Speaking about her mysterious exit for the first time, Ikumelo revealed that she vomited in the show’s control room and was advised to leave.
“I threw up. This show has physically damaged the both of us,” she told Mel Giedroyc on the Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake podcast.
“I sat in the control room with Jimmy and Roisin and suddenly felt like the room was spinning and really nauseous. A little bit of bile started to come up and I just threw up and then I ran,” she said.
“They all thought it was hilarious because they thought it was a spit take. They were like, ‘Get that! Get that!’ It took them a while to realise, when they started to come in to clean the vomit that I’d left behind that I’d thrown up. They were like, ‘You should go. You should leave.’ I said, ‘I can come back and do it!’ They said, “No...’”
When asked what may have caused her to vomit, Ikumelo said that she didn’t eat much while filming the show.
“There were sweets and I don’t really do sweets. I do hot food, I’m not a cold food person and it was all cold food so I didn’t really eat.
“The only water I drank was a random bit of water out of Sam Campbell’s A4 wallet and I don’t know where he got that water from,” she added, with Giedroyc saying: “That’s why you puked!”
The Independent has reached out to Amazon for comment.
Ikumelo briefly addressed her exit on Last One Laughing: UK, saying in a piece to camera: “I think suppressing laughter is probably quite hazardous to one’s health. I’m gutted that I missed the rest of the game but I am feeling much better now.”
Giedroyc also admitted that she had been left with an “inflamed right jaw” after pulling a face during filming to stop herself laughing. “I’ve got an issue with my right jaw and I went to the dentist and she said, ‘What’s been going on? Are you grinding your teeth at night?’
“And I said, ‘No I never do that.’ And then I suddenly bloody remembered.”
The second series saw Maisie Adam, Bob Mortimer, Romesh Ranganathan and Diane Morgan compete, with Peep Show’s David Mitchell ultimately winning the trophy.
Earlier in April, competitor Amy Gledhill revealed that Carr intervened during one scene, which was cut from the show, as it was too “filthy” for television.
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