Olivia Attwood's family have offered a fresh update on why she was forced to leave the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! jungle. The former Love Island star became the first to leave the ITV reality show earlier this week.
On Monday, after just 24 hours, it was revealed that Olivia had been forced to withdraw from the hit Ant and Dec fronted show on medical grounds. A spokesperson said: "As a precautionary measure Olivia needed to leave the jungle to undergo medical checks.
"Unfortunately, the medical team has advised that it is not safe for Olivia to return to camp as there needs to be further investigation. She has been absolutely brilliant and she'll be very much missed on the show."
Following the news her family, who had been given control over her social media accounts while she was in Australia for the programme, a statement posted on the 31-year-old's Instagram account. It came despite Olivia still appearing on-screen as trials and other parts of the show are pre-recorded before being intertwined with Ant and Dec's live segments each night.
They explained that fans will 'hear the truth in due course' about her shock exit. The message read: "To say Olivia is heartbroken would be an understatement, she dreamed of doing I'm A Celeb for years, and was absolutely loving every second of the show and throwing herself into jungle life feet first (just as we knew she would).
"However, for reasons beyond her control her journey has been cut short. Your support and kind words have meant the absolute world to her, now as much as it always has."
The statement added: "You will hear the truth from Olivia in due course and she will back on your screens in the new year." And it signed off by joking: "Ps who's going to roast Matt Hancock now?" referring to the former health secretary's appearance on the show which viewers saw for the first time on Wednesday evening (November 9).
While she is still yet to reveal the actual reason behind the early and sudden exit, there have been reports that Olivia wished to return to the jungle following a medical issue but wasn't allowed due to 'strict rules' still in place following the coronavirus pandemic.
However, this has since been denied by Olivia's team. Again posting a message on Instagram, they said: "For clarity, Olivia did not leave the jungle due to Covid reasons." No more details have been given.
Olivia was the second celeb to arrive during Sunday night's launch show following DJ Chris Moyles. Soon after the other celebrities arrived, Ant and Dec revealed that Olivia had been voted as a Jungle VIP and she was allowed to choose one person to join her for a meal and she picked Chris.
After Olivia and Chris enjoyed their meal they got a taste of the high life as they were tasked with jumping out of a chopper at 10,000ft. After completing the jump first, an emotional Olivia said: "Oh my god I’m crying, that’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever done, ever. That is incredible. Top 10 experience of my life. Just amazing."
Viewers also got to see Olivia, alongside Chris, Boy George and Scarlette Douglas take part in the first trial of the series before uniting with the rest of the line-up in the main camp.
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