Paul Burrell has told how he "doesn't have a Queen or Princess to lean on" but that he hopes he's doing the late Princess Diana proud.
He's set to hit our screens again this week as the former royal butler prepares to star in I'm A Celebrity All-Stars.
And Princess Diana's former aide, 64, has told all about what he thinks the late Princess of Wales would have made of him taking part in the ITV show.
The Mirror asked Paul, who's recently credited the show for 'saving his life' after pre-filming tests alerted medics to his undiagnosed prostate cancer, what Diana would have thought of how much his life has changed since he worked for her.
The telly star exclusively told us: "Well, listen the Queen and the princess shaped the man that you see today.
"When I was 18 years old, I went to the Queen and she taught me much about life, being with her all the time. Then I went to Diana and she taught me a different side of life.
"And she introduced me to the LGBTQ+ community through HIV and AIDS and a lot of her friends came to the palace and were gay.
"And in a way, she'd say… her nickname for me - I probably shouldn’t tell you this - her nickname for me was Merlin. She called me my little Merlin and she said because you know what's going to happen next. You've got this sort of second sight. You know what's going to happen."
Paul went on to tell how he hopes she'd be proud of who he is today, explaining: "I think she'd see that I've developed and blossomed into a completely different person, whom I hope she'll be proud of and hope that she's looking down with our dear late queen and having a giggle."
He told how he doesn't feel he's changed much since his days with Diana, as he was always his authentic self around her.
"I don't think my personality has changed that much because I was very free and open with her," he explained.
"She knew me inside out. But I think she'd say now you've got the courage of your convictions, and you're able to stand by yourself and be true to yourself.
"I think that's what she would find most endearing about me today, that I'm my own man.
"And I could never be in those days because I was invisible. In those days I was always behind someone and not known, and the minutes I came out into the world well…"
Paul opened up about how he almost didn't appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! the first time around in 2004 because of the criticism he was facing at the time.
"It's been a rough ride. It's been a very rough ride over the years. I nearly didn't do 2004 because I'd had so much bad press and I was hiding so much. And I was vulnerable.
"And I thought if I do the jungle, I'm going to be exposed because you can't lie when you're in the jungle. You're yourself.
"Doing it this time I didn't have any of those fears. Because I just felt well I am who I am. And I'm proud of who I am. I'm still a dad of two fine young men. I'm a proud husband, to my husband and a bigger person than I was before.
"I'm happy in my own skin and I think the jungles helped me develop that. The programme itself and the people in it have helped me become the man I am today to.
"I don't have a queen or a princess anymore to lean on. So I'm just me. What you get is what you see. And I hope you like it."
His raw confession comes after he opened up on his health on today's Lorraine as he shared an update on his cancer treatment with the ITV presenter.
Paul was told he had prostrate cancer after a medical check-up ahead of appearing on I'm A Celebrity All Stars flagged he had raised PSA levels.
He returned to the jungle alongside former contestants such as Carol Vorderman, Phil Tufnell and Jordan Banjo, for the all-stars edition.
Paul, who has been keeping fans up to date with his cancer treatment, revealed his health diagnosis was down to the show.
Speaking about his diagnosis, he said: "I didn't know when I was sat there in the clearing, I knew something was wrong but I didn't know what was wrong and when I got back, I went back to the doctors and they found out it was cancer.
"I'm sat in the jungle with cancer, the Queen has died and I'm thinking, 'Oh wow, how do I get through this?'"
*I’m A Celebrity…South Africa begins on Monday (April 24) at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
