TV presenter Steph McGovern has revealed that she has turned down I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! "several times" over an existing health condition. The 40-year-old, who is from Tyne and Wear, was one of the celebrities rumoured to appear in this year's series and despite this, she was nowhere to be seen in the line up.
“I’m not scared about eating things,” she said before adding, "My main worry is about would be how my body would react." Steph then explained that the reason for not taking part is because of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - a condition that affects the digestive system and can causes symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating and diarrhoea.
Steph, who appeared on The Masked Dancer earlier this year, added to Entertainment Daily: "You see, I’m the type of person who gets a small bite and then my whole leg swells up. I’ve also got IBS too so I’d be scared that if I ate something that disagreed with me I’d probably end up [bleep]ing myself on TV."
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“It’s not mentally how I’d deal with it, but more physically how my body would work,” she continued before also saying that she wouldn't do Strictly Come Dancing either. Steph explained: “My little girl is only three and if I was to do it, and my show, which is five days a week, I wouldn’t see her for a few months. My priority at the moment is her and being with her when I finished work. I’m not in a rush to do it but I think it’s an amazing programme. I was there watching it in Blackpool.”
Steph has previously discussed her IBS with The Mirror. She told them: “I’ve had IBS for as long as I can remember, but I just assumed it was one of those things you either have or you don’t have and there isn’t any cure. So for a long time, I just accepted it. I used to get awful cramps and run to the loo.
"Then I did a show for the BBC called Easy Ways To Live Well and I discovered my gut was in the worst third of the population. I started to adapt my diet but then I fell pregnant with my little girl and couldn’t do that. So now I’ve started to focus on my gut health again and it’s changed my life. I take a probiotic called Symprove, which helps massively, and I do intermittent fasting midweek – so I only eat between 11am and 7pm, I’ve also introduced more gut-friendly foods."
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! concluded on Sunday, November 27 and saw Jill Scott crowned the winner. This year's series sparked controversy for its inclusion of former Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP, who ultimately came third. The annual Coming Out show airs on ITV1 on Thursday, November 1 at 9pm. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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