I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is a British reality television programme that has aired on ITV since 2002, in which a group of celebrities live together in a jungle or bush setting while completing a series of gruelling challenges, eating disgusting foods, and competing for public votes to avoid elimination, with the last celebrity standing crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. Created by producers Richard Cowles and Natalka Znak and originally filmed in the rainforest of Springbrook National Park in Queensland, Australia, the show has become one of the most watched and culturally significant programmes in British television history, regularly attracting audiences of more than ten million viewers during its peak broadcast periods. This comprehensive guide covers absolutely everything you need to know about I’m a Celebrity, including its complete history from 2002 to the present day, every winner, the most memorable moments, the Bushtucker Trials, the hosts, the format, the Australian and UK jungle versions, how to get tickets, how voting works, the biggest controversies, and everything else fans and newcomers want to know about one of Britain’s most beloved and enduring television events.
What Is I’m a Celebrity?
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is a British reality survival programme produced by ITV Studios that places a group of well-known public figures — typically between ten and twelve celebrities — in a remote outdoor setting where they must live together, complete physical and psychological challenges, and survive on limited rations while competing to win public votes that keep them in the competition. The show first aired on ITV on 24 August 2002, with the debut series filmed in the rainforest of Queensland, Australia, and immediately attracted large audiences who were captivated by the combination of genuine physical hardship, unscripted human drama, and the entertainment of watching famous people completely outside their comfort zones.
The programme’s central appeal rests on several interconnected elements that together create a television experience unlike anything else in the British broadcast schedule. The genuine physical challenges — including the iconic Bushtucker Trials, which require celebrities to eat genuinely revolting foods or endure encounters with insects, snakes, and other creatures in confined spaces — provide visceral entertainment that rewards live viewing and creates the kind of shareable, discussed moments that sustain social media conversation throughout the series. The unscripted human drama of people from very different backgrounds living together under extreme conditions creates genuine conflict, genuine friendship, and genuine emotion that no scriptwriter could manufacture.
The show’s format is structured as a gradual elimination competition in which public telephone votes determine which celebrity leaves the camp each week, creating the same kind of democratic audience engagement that has characterised the most successful reality formats of the past two decades. The final episode, in which the last three or four celebrities compete for the public’s votes with the winner crowned King or Queen of the Jungle, is consistently one of the most watched programmes of any given television year, drawing audiences that few other formats in British television can match.
The Format in Detail
The specific mechanics of I’m a Celebrity’s format have remained broadly consistent since the first series in 2002, though various elements have been refined and developed over twenty-plus years of production. The celebrity group, living together in a camp in the outdoor environment, shares a basic communal life that includes cooking, maintaining the camp, and managing the interpersonal dynamics of a group of people who have very different backgrounds and very different relationships with discomfort, physical challenge, and communal living. The basics of camp life — limited food, no access to modern comforts, outdoor sleeping arrangements — are non-negotiable for all participants regardless of their celebrity status, which is a fundamental and essential element of the show’s democratic appeal.
Bushtucker Trials are the most iconic element of the format and the aspect that generates the most shareable and discussed moments both within the broadcast and on social media. A celebrity is selected to complete a trial — either through a public vote determining which celebrity the audience most wants to see suffer, which is itself a fascinating expression of the audience’s relationship with specific celebrities, or through camp decisions — and the trial typically involves eating genuinely disgusting items (including insects, animal organs, and other foods chosen for their repulsiveness) or completing physically challenging tasks in environments designed to maximise discomfort, such as boxes filled with cockroaches or tanks flooding with water and eels.
The public vote element of the format is structured so that viewers vote for their favourite celebrities to remain in the camp, with the celebrity receiving the fewest votes each week facing elimination, until the final when the public votes positively for their preferred winner. This voting structure creates a running narrative of popularity and public favour that runs alongside the daily camp drama, and the question of who is winning the public vote — which is not revealed to the celebrities themselves until elimination — is a consistent source of speculation and discussion among viewers throughout each series.
The History of I’m a Celebrity
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! premiered on ITV on 24 August 2002 with a cast that included Tony Blackburn, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Christine Hamilton, and several other well-known British public figures, with the series filmed in the rainforest environment of Springbrook National Park in Queensland, Australia. The show was an immediate ratings success, with the final watched by 11 million viewers — a remarkable achievement for a format that was genuinely new to British audiences and whose premise had seemed far from guaranteed to work. Tony Blackburn was crowned the first ever King of the Jungle, winning through a combination of genuine good humour, stoicism in the face of the show’s challenges, and a likeable personality that resonated strongly with the public vote.
The early years of the show established the core elements that would define it throughout its run — the mix of celebrity types, the range of Bushtucker Trials, the presenting partnership that would become one of the most beloved in British television — and demonstrated that the format had a genuine and enduring appeal that justified annual renewal. By Series 2 in 2003, which saw Phil Tufnell crowned King of the Jungle, the show had established itself as one of ITV’s most valuable properties and a major event in the British television calendar, with the annual broadcast becoming an anticipated fixture of the autumn and winter viewing season.
The Australian Era: 2002-2019
For the first eighteen series of I’m a Celebrity, the show was filmed in Australia — primarily in the Springbrook National Park and later in Dungay Creek in New South Wales — and the Australian jungle setting was fundamental to the show’s identity and atmosphere. The combination of genuinely exotic wildlife (including the many species of Australian insects, snakes, and other creatures that feature in Bushtucker Trials), stunning natural scenery, and the genuine remoteness of the camp environment all contributed to a visual and atmospheric identity that was specific to the Australian location.
The Australian era produced the majority of the show’s most iconic moments, most memorable contestants, and most celebrated winners, establishing the cultural touchstones that define the show’s legacy. It was during the Australian years that the show produced some of its most remarkable celebrity transformations — individuals who arrived in the jungle with one public reputation and left with a fundamentally altered public image, either dramatically improved or significantly damaged by what audiences had observed over the course of the series.
The shift to Wales in 2020, forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, represented a seismic change for the show that many observers expected would significantly damage its appeal. The assumption was that the Australian environment was so fundamental to what I’m a Celebrity was that relocating to a Welsh castle would represent a diminishment that audiences would not accept. This assumption proved largely incorrect, as the Gwrych Castle setting provided its own distinctive atmosphere — gothic, cold, historically rich — that proved surprisingly compelling.
The Wales Transition: 2020-2022
The decision to move I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! to Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales, for Series 20 in 2020 was one of the most significant logistical and creative decisions in the show’s history, forced by the impossibility of travelling to Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gwrych Castle, a Grade I listed building that had fallen into significant disrepair before being rescued by a conservation trust, provided an environment that was dramatically different from the Australian jungle — colder, darker, historically loaded, and with its own genuinely atmospheric qualities that the production team exploited with considerable skill.
The Wales series attracted audiences comparable to the Australian editions, demonstrating both the fundamental strength of the format and the adaptability of the show to different environments. Series 20 was won by Giovanna Fletcher, who became the first woman in six years to win the programme and whose warmth, groundedness, and genuine positivity made her an enormously popular champion. Series 21, also filmed at Gwrych Castle in 2021, was won by Danny Miller, with 12.1 million people tuning in to watch the final — the highest audience the show had attracted in years.
Return to Australia: 2023 Onwards
The return of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! to its Australian home for Series 23 in 2023, following a year’s interlude with a UK-based series in 2022, was greeted with significant enthusiasm by both the show’s production team and its audience. The reunion with the Australian jungle environment — with all the wildlife, heat, humidity, and visual spectacle that the Australian location provides — felt like a homecoming for a show that had missed the specific atmosphere of its original setting. Sam Thompson was crowned King of the Jungle in 2023 in a final that attracted enormous audiences and generated significant social media discussion.
The ongoing commitment to the Australian location reflects the production team’s recognition that while the Welsh castle experience was successful and proved the format’s adaptability, the jungle environment remains the show’s spiritual home and the setting that best expresses its core identity. The combination of tropical heat, genuinely dangerous wildlife, physical isolation, and dramatic natural scenery creates an atmosphere that the Welsh castle, for all its genuine qualities, cannot fully replicate.
Complete List of I’m a Celebrity Winners
The King or Queen of the Jungle is the celebrity who receives the most public votes in the final episode of each series, and the complete list of winners provides a fascinating snapshot of British celebrity culture across more than two decades:
Series 1 (2002): Tony Blackburn — Radio DJ
Series 2 (2003): Phil Tufnell — Cricketer
Series 3 (2004): Kerry Katona — Pop Singer
Series 4 (2005): Carol Thatcher — Journalist/TV Presenter
Series 5 (2006): Matt Willis — Musician (Busted)
Series 6 (2007): Christopher Biggins — Actor
Series 7 (2008): Joe Swash — Actor (EastEnders)
Series 8 (2009): Gino D’Acampo — Chef
Series 9 (2010): Stacey Solomon — Singer
Series 10 (2011): Dougie Poynter — Musician (McFly)
Series 11 (2012): Charlie Brooks — Actress
Series 12 (2013): Kian Egan — Singer (Westlife)
Series 13 (2014): Carl Fogerty — Motorcycle Racing Champion
Series 14 (2015): Vicky Pattison — Television Personality
Series 15 (2016): Scarlett Moffatt — Television Personality
Series 16 (2017): Georgia Toffolo — Television Personality
Series 17 (2018): Harry Redknapp — Football Manager
Series 18 (2019): Jacqueline Jossa — Actress (EastEnders)
Series 19 (2020): Giovanna Fletcher — Author/Podcaster
Series 20 (2021): Danny Miller — Actor (Emmerdale)
Series 21 (2022): Jill Scott — Footballer
Series 22 (2023): Sam Thompson — Television Personality
Series 23 (2024): Myles Stephenson — Musician (Rak-Su)
The pattern of winners reveals several interesting trends. Sports personalities have won the show on multiple occasions, reflecting the public’s warm response to athletes who demonstrate authenticity and down-to-earth charm in the camp environment. EastEnders actors have won twice, reflecting the special relationship between the soap opera and its audience. The show has produced seven female winners and sixteen male winners, a gender balance that has occasionally been discussed in the context of broader conversations about how the show’s public voting reflects gender dynamics.
Ant and Dec: The Iconic Hosting Partnership
No discussion of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is complete without extensive consideration of Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, the presenting partnership who have hosted the show from its very first series in 2002 and who are as fundamental to the show’s identity as any element of its format. Ant and Dec — Anthony McPartlin, born 18 November 1975 in Newcastle, and Declan Donnelly, born 25 September 1975, also in Newcastle — are widely regarded as the finest double act in British television history, their natural chemistry, genuine friendship, and flawless comedic timing making them a unique and irreplaceable presenting force.
Their relationship with I’m a Celebrity is symbiotic — the show made them the dominant force in British light entertainment presenting, and they in turn gave the show a warmth, professionalism, and genuine entertainment quality that elevates it above what a less accomplished presenting team could achieve. They present from Ant and Dec’s Jungle Base — a separate location from the celebrity camp — where they deliver the evening’s Bushtucker Trial commentary, conduct eviction interviews, and provide the connective tissue between the various elements of the broadcast.
Ant’s Break and Dec’s Solo Series
One of the most significant moments in the show’s presenting history came in 2018 when Ant McPartlin announced that he was taking an indefinite break from presenting duties to focus on his mental health and recovery from addiction. His absence from I’m a Celebrity Series 18 in 2018 required ITV to find a temporary replacement — a genuinely unprecedented situation given how fundamental Ant and Dec are to the show’s identity. Holly Willoughby stepped in as Dec’s co-host for that single series, and while she performed admirably and her pairing with Dec was warmly received, the absence of Ant was clearly felt by both production and audience.
Ant’s return to presenting duties alongside Dec for Series 19 in 2019 was one of the most anticipated moments in the show’s recent history, and the reunion of the full partnership was celebrated both by audiences and by Ant and Dec themselves, who have been unambiguous about how much they value the professional and personal partnership. The episode of Series 19 that marked Ant’s return to screens attracted significantly elevated audiences, reflecting the genuine public affection for him and the relief at seeing the partnership restored.
Ant and Dec’s Cultural Legacy
The specific quality that makes Ant and Dec so effective as I’m a Celebrity hosts goes beyond technical presenting ability or comedic timing, though both are present in abundance. What distinguishes their hosting is the sense that they genuinely care about the celebrities in the camp — that their warmth toward the contestants is real rather than performed, and that their evident enjoyment of the show’s entertainment is authentic rather than professional. This quality of genuine engagement is something that audiences can detect and respond to, and it is a significant part of why the show maintains such strong audience loyalty.
Their catchphrases — “Get me out of here!”, the Bushtucker Trial scorecards, the eviction announcements — have become embedded in British popular culture in a way that very few television presenters achieve, transcending the show itself to become part of the broader cultural vocabulary. When British people reference I’m a Celebrity in everyday conversation, it is most often through one of these Ant and Dec-associated moments, which speaks to the depth of cultural penetration that the show and its presenters have achieved.
The Bushtucker Trials: Iconic Moments
The Bushtucker Trials are the most immediately recognisable and most discussed element of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, and they have produced some of the most memorable and frequently rewatched moments in British television history. The trials, which require celebrity contestants to eat genuinely disgusting foods or complete physically challenging tasks in deeply uncomfortable environments, are selected through public vote — meaning that the celebrity the viewing public most wants to see suffer (or most wants to see succeed, depending on viewer perspective) is chosen to face each trial.
The range and creativity of Bushtucker Trials has expanded significantly over the show’s more than twenty years, from the relatively straightforward eating challenges of the early series to the elaborately constructed physical and psychological challenges of more recent seasons. The core elements remain constant — the eating of genuinely revolting foods, immersion with creepy crawlies, water challenges — but the production team’s ability to find new variations on these themes and new ways to maximise their entertainment impact has ensured that the trials remain fresh and surprising year after year.
The Most Famous Trials
Among the most iconic and most discussed Bushtucker Trials in the show’s history are several that have transcended their original broadcast context to become reference points in discussions of I’m a Celebrity and British reality television more broadly.
Nadine Coyle’s failure to identify her bandmates’ voices in Series 19 (2019) was less a trial than an unscripted moment of revelation, but it captured the show’s ability to produce genuine surprise from real situations. The various eating trials featuring celebrities who have struggled with genuine physical revulsion — Gillian McKeith fainting in Series 10 (2011), various celebrities retching their way through trials involving animal parts — have each contributed to the show’s reputation for genuine rather than performed discomfort.
The water-based trials, in which celebrities must retrieve stars from underwater locations while eels, snakes, or other creatures share the space with them, have consistently been among the most visually dramatic and most anxiety-inducing trials. The claustrophobic coffin trials — in which celebrities are enclosed in coffins that gradually fill with insects — represent a different kind of horror, more psychological than physical, and the varying responses of different celebrities to this specific challenge reveal character with particular efficiency.
Who Faces the Trials?
The public vote element of trial selection is one of the most interesting social dynamics of I’m a Celebrity’s format, as it reveals which celebrities the public most wants to see tested and which celebrities the public most wants to protect from testing. Generally, the celebrity who faces the most trials is someone the public finds entertaining in the trial context — whether through genuine courage, entertaining reaction to discomfort, or both — rather than necessarily the celebrity the public wants to eliminate.
Some celebrities have faced Bushtucker Trials on virtually every day of their jungle stay, which is both a tribute to the public’s entertainment interest in watching them and a significant physical and psychological challenge for the individual concerned. The record for most trials completed in a single series has changed hands several times over the show’s history, and the celebrities who have completed the most trials are typically among the most discussed participants in those particular series.
Celebrity Transformations and Career Impact
One of the most fascinating and significant aspects of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! as a cultural phenomenon is the demonstrable impact that participation has on the career trajectories and public images of celebrities who appear on it. The show’s extraordinary audience reach, combined with the extended period of genuine personal exposure that the format provides — weeks of unscripted, unmanaged public observation — creates the conditions for public image transformations that few other television experiences can achieve.
The most positive celebrity transformations in I’m a Celebrity history involve individuals who arrive in the jungle with a public image that is either negative, neutral, or simply not well-developed, and who emerge from the experience with dramatically enhanced public affection. The show has been particularly powerful for celebrities whose previous public profile had been shaped primarily by tabloid coverage or whose public persona had felt somewhat constructed or managed, as the unscripted nature of the camp environment tends to strip away public relations management and reveal more authentic personality.
Notable Career Revivals
Harry Redknapp’s appearance in Series 17 (2018) is perhaps the most striking example of a celebrity using I’m a Celebrity to achieve a complete public image transformation. Redknapp, primarily known as a football manager whose media coverage had included significant controversy around various professional and personal matters, emerged from the jungle as a beloved national grandfather figure whose warmth, humour, and genuine decency had won over millions of viewers who had never previously considered themselves fans. His subsequent career benefited significantly from the enormous goodwill generated by his jungle performance.
Stacey Solomon’s win in Series 9 (2010) was similarly transformative, introducing her to an enormous television audience as a personality completely distinct from her X Factor contestant profile and generating the kind of public affection that has sustained her to become one of British television’s most successful and beloved personalities. Her subsequent career — encompassing presenting roles, Loose Women, and her own highly successful social media and content empire — was built substantially on the goodwill and audience recognition generated by her I’m a Celebrity win and performance.
The Negative Impact Cases
Not all I’m a Celebrity appearances result in positive career impact, and the show’s history includes several high-profile cases where participation damaged rather than enhanced a celebrity’s public image. The unscripted nature of the format means that celebrities who display behaviour that the public finds unappealing — whether genuine character flaws or simply unfortunate moments in difficult circumstances — cannot control or manage that display in the way they might through more conventional media engagement.
These cases, while unfortunate for the individuals concerned, actually reinforce one of the show’s most valuable qualities — its authenticity. The fact that the format genuinely exposes authentic personality rather than managed image is precisely what gives I’m a Celebrity its power to transform careers positively, and the occasional negative transformation is the necessary cost of that genuine exposure.
The Show’s Most Controversial Moments
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! has, over its more than twenty-year run, generated a significant number of controversial moments that have sparked public debate, media discussion, and occasionally regulatory inquiry. These controversies are an inevitable product of a format that depends on authentic human behaviour in extreme circumstances — genuinely difficult situations will occasionally produce behaviour or revelations that generate controversy.
The show has faced periodic criticism about the welfare of the animals used in Bushtucker Trials, with animal rights organisations raising concerns about the treatment of the insects, eels, and other creatures that feature in the challenges. The production company has consistently stated that animal welfare is a priority in the design of all trials, and the format has evolved over the years in ways that reflect a greater awareness of these concerns, but the debate continues to surface periodically.
Notable Controversies
The 2018 series was notable for the controversy surrounding Noel Edmonds’ brief appearance, which divided audiences between those who found his approach refreshing and those who found it difficult. Various other contestant conflicts — heated arguments, allegations made about other celebrities either within or outside the camp context, and the inevitable tensions generated by a group of people living together in close quarters under pressure — have generated controversy throughout the show’s history.
The relationship dynamics that have developed between celebrity contestants — romantic attractions, intense friendships, dramatic falling outs — have also been sources of controversy, particularly where pre-existing external situations (such as celebrities who are in relationships outside the camp) interact with relationships formed within it. The most notable example of this remains the relationship between Katie Price and Peter Andre, which began in the I’m a Celebrity camp in 2004 and subsequently became one of the most extensively covered celebrity relationships in British media history.
International Versions of I’m a Celebrity
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! has spawned a significant number of international adaptations that have aired in countries across the world, each adapting the core format to suit local celebrity culture, local wildlife, and local audience expectations. The format has proven to be genuinely globally translatable, with the fundamental appeal — the authentic human drama of famous people in extreme circumstances — working effectively regardless of the specific cultural context in which it is placed.
The Australian version, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Australia, premiered in 2015 on Network Ten and has become one of the most successful Australian reality programmes, establishing its own roster of iconic moments and its own cultural significance within the Australian television landscape. The American version, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! USA, aired on NBC in 2003 and 2009, and while it did not achieve the long-term success of the British original, it demonstrated the format’s international appeal.
I’m a Celebrity Around the World
International versions have aired in Germany (Ich bin ein Star — Holt mich hier raus!), Spain (¡Soy una celebridad… ¡Sácame de aquí!), the Netherlands, South Africa, and numerous other countries, each bringing their own national celebrities and cultural flavour to a format whose fundamentals translate effectively across borders. The German version in particular has achieved enormous success and cultural significance in its domestic market, regularly attracting the largest audiences of any entertainment format on German television.
The consistency of the format’s appeal across such diverse cultural contexts — from Germany to South Africa, from Australia to the United States — speaks to the genuinely universal nature of its core appeal. The human drama of famous people in extreme circumstances, stripped of the usual media management that surrounds celebrity, apparently resonates with audiences regardless of national context or specific celebrity culture.
How to Get I’m a Celebrity Tickets
For fans who want to attend the filming of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, the opportunities are limited but genuinely available for those willing to navigate the application process. The show films in two primary locations depending on the series — the Australian jungle environment or the Welsh castle location — and the audience opportunities differ significantly between the two.
Australian Series Tickets: When the show films in Australia, audiences can apply for tickets to see the live eviction shows, which take place at a separate venue from the main camp. The application process is managed through ITV’s official website, where interested viewers can register their interest and be selected through a ballot system. Australian eviction shows take place in the Murwillumbah area of New South Wales, and attending requires obviously significant travel.
UK Domestic Audience: The main camp filming is entirely closed to the public, as the presence of cameras and crew is already extensive and the integrity of the camp environment is essential to the show’s format. However, the eviction events and the final episode’s surrounding activities occasionally include public audiences that can be applied for through official channels.
Application Process: The ITV website is the primary official channel for audience ticket applications, and registration of interest should be done as early as possible given the enormous demand relative to available places. Applications are typically open from the spring for the autumn series.
What to Expect: Those who do attend eviction shows can expect significant security and production management of the audience’s experience, as the integrity of the broadcast is paramount. The atmosphere at live eviction events is described as extraordinary, with the genuine tension of the public vote result combined with the theatrical presentation of the eviction making for a uniquely exciting television experience.
Practical Guide for I’m a Celebrity Viewers
When Does It Air: I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! airs in the autumn and early winter, typically beginning in November and running through approximately three to four weeks of nightly episodes before the final in December. The nightly episodes air on ITV1 at approximately 9pm, with the duration varying depending on the content of each night’s episode.
How to Watch: The show airs live on ITV1, with episodes available immediately after broadcast on ITVX (ITV’s streaming platform), which is free to access. ITVX also provides access to previous series’ episodes for viewers who want to explore the show’s history.
Voting: Public votes are cast by telephone during the voting windows announced during each episode, with costs per vote varying. Votes can also be placed online through ITV’s official I’m a Celebrity voting page, and app voting is available through the ITV Hub/ITVX app. The specific cost of voting, the methods available, and the voting windows are confirmed annually when the series launches.
Extra Camp: The companion show Extra Camp, renamed The Daily Drop in more recent series, provides additional content including extended interview footage with eliminated celebrities and behind-the-scenes material not included in the main broadcast. This extended content is available on ITV2 and ITVX.
Social Media: The official I’m a Celebrity social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, and TikTok provide daily behind-the-scenes content, clips, and interactive engagement with the audience throughout the series. Following these accounts is one of the best ways to maximise engagement with each day’s episode content.
I’m a Celebrity and Mental Health
In recent years, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! has increasingly engaged with conversations about the mental health and wellbeing of its celebrity contestants, reflecting broader cultural changes in how the entertainment industry approaches the duty of care owed to participants in reality programming. The conditions of the show — extended isolation from normal life, physical deprivation, constant camera observation, and the psychological pressure of public elimination votes — create genuine mental health challenges for participants that the production has a responsibility to address.
The show employs a medical and psychological welfare team that provides ongoing support to all contestants throughout the filming period, and the production protocols include mechanisms for contestants who are genuinely struggling to receive appropriate professional support or, where necessary, to leave the camp environment. The welfare provisions have evolved significantly since the early series, reflecting both greater industry awareness of reality television’s mental health impacts and specific lessons learned from the I’m a Celebrity experience.
Celebrities Speaking About Their Experience
A significant number of former I’m a Celebrity contestants have spoken publicly about the mental health challenges they experienced during the show, providing valuable insight into the genuine psychological demands of the experience. These accounts — ranging from descriptions of unexpected emotional vulnerability to discussion of the specific challenges of living without privacy or personal space — have contributed to a more nuanced public understanding of what participation in the show actually involves beyond the entertainment surface.
The conversations that I’m a Celebrity has prompted about celebrity mental health and the duty of care in reality television have been genuinely valuable, and the show’s production has in many cases been a constructive participant in those conversations rather than a defensive one, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to improving its welfare provisions.
FAQs
When does I’m a Celebrity 2024 start?
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! typically begins in November each year, with the exact start date confirmed by ITV in the weeks before broadcast. For the most current and accurate start date for any specific series, the ITV website and official I’m a Celebrity social media accounts are the most reliable sources. The show runs for approximately three to four weeks before the final, which usually falls in early to mid-December. Series announcement dates and celebrity cast reveals typically happen in October, building anticipation in the weeks before launch.
Who has won I’m a Celebrity the most recently?
The most recent I’m a Celebrity winner was the King or Queen of the Jungle from the most recently completed series. As of the information available, Sam Thompson won Series 22 in 2023 in Australia. For the most current winner information, ITV’s official website and celebrity entertainment news sources will provide the definitive up-to-date result. The winner of each series is decided entirely by public vote in the final episode, making it a genuine democratic expression of audience preference rather than a judges’ decision.
Where is I’m a Celebrity filmed?
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is primarily filmed in two locations depending on the series. The Australian series — the majority of the show’s history — is filmed in the rainforest and bush environments of New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, specifically in areas around Murwillumbah in New South Wales in more recent years. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the show relocated to Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales, with a UK-based series also filmed at Hanmer Hall in Shropshire in 2022. The show returned to Australia for Series 22 in 2023.
How long do celebrities stay in the jungle?
The duration of each celebrity’s stay in the I’m a Celebrity jungle or camp environment depends entirely on when they are eliminated through the public vote, with some celebrities lasting the entire series of approximately three to four weeks and others eliminated in the first week or two. The winner stays for the complete duration, typically around three to four weeks. Celebrities can also choose to leave voluntarily if they find the experience too physically or psychologically challenging, which has happened on various occasions throughout the show’s history with varying degrees of drama and public reaction.
How do I vote on I’m a Celebrity?
Voting on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! can be done by telephone (calling the specific numbers provided during each episode), online through ITV’s official website during the voting windows, and via the ITVX app. Each vote by telephone typically incurs a charge that is confirmed during the broadcast and on ITV’s website. Online and app voting may have different cost structures. During the show’s run, voting windows are announced during each episode and are typically open for a specific period after the episode airs. For the most accurate and current voting information, the ITV and I’m a Celebrity official website is the definitive source.
Who presents I’m a Celebrity?
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is presented by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, who have hosted the show from its very first series in 2002 and who are universally regarded as fundamental to the show’s identity and success. The only exception to their joint presenting was Series 18 in 2018, when Ant McPartlin was on a break from presenting for health reasons, and Holly Willoughby co-presented that series alongside Declan Donnelly. Ant and Dec are among the most beloved presenting partnerships in British television history and their I’m a Celebrity role is widely considered their most important and most definitively career-defining programme.
What are Bushtucker Trials?
Bushtucker Trials are the iconic challenge segments of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in which celebrity contestants must complete difficult, disgusting, or frightening tasks to win meals (stars) for the camp. The trials include eating genuinely revolting foods — insects, animal organs, and other disgusting items — and completing physically challenging tasks in environments designed to maximise discomfort, such as boxes filled with cockroaches, tanks containing eels, or confined spaces shared with snakes. The celebrity who faces each trial is typically selected by public vote, meaning the audience votes for which celebrity they most want to see complete the challenge. The trials are among the most shareable and discussed moments of each series.
How much do celebrities get paid for I’m a Celebrity?
Celebrity fees for appearing on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! are among the most frequently speculated-about subjects in discussion of the show, and while ITV does not publicly confirm individual celebrity fees, various media reports have suggested that the highest-profile and most sought-after celebrities can earn significant sums for their participation. Reported fees in media coverage have ranged from hundreds of thousands of pounds for less prominent celebrities to several million pounds for the biggest names. The fee is typically paid regardless of how long the celebrity stays in the camp — whether they are eliminated first or win the series.
Can contestants leave I’m a Celebrity voluntarily?
Yes, contestants on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! can voluntarily choose to leave the camp at any point during the series if they find the experience too physically or psychologically challenging. Voluntary departures have occurred on various occasions throughout the show’s history and are typically treated with empathy and understanding by both the production team and the presenting partnership, reflecting the genuine challenges of the experience. Some voluntary departures have generated significant public discussion and media coverage, while others have been received with straightforward understanding given the evident difficulty of the situation. The production team provides 24-hour access to medical and psychological support for any contestant who is struggling.
What is the I’m a Celebrity final like?
The I’m a Celebrity final is typically one of the most watched episodes of any given television year in the United Kingdom, attracting audiences that can reach twelve million viewers or more for particularly popular series. The final episode brings together the last three or four remaining celebrities — those who have survived all the public elimination votes — in a public vote-only final where the audience decides the overall winner. The winning celebrity is announced by Ant and Dec in the camp, and the moment of victory is typically one of genuine emotion, with the crowned King or Queen of the Jungle emerging from the camp to meet their waiting friends and family. The final also includes retrospective content from the series and extended celebrations of the winner.
What happens to celebrities after the show?
The post-show experience for I’m a Celebrity celebrities varies significantly depending on their performance and the public’s response to them during the series. Winners and particularly beloved participants typically experience a significant boost in their public profile and often their career trajectory, with post-show media opportunities — press interviews, television appearances, endorsement deals — available immediately following the series. Some celebrities have credited I’m a Celebrity with fundamentally reviving or transforming their careers. Others return more quietly to their pre-show professional lives, with their Jungle experience remaining a notable addition to their biography rather than a career-transforming event. The eviction interview with Ant and Dec is the first post-jungle media opportunity, and the conversations from those interviews are typically among the most watched post-show content.
Is I’m a Celebrity good for celebrity careers?
The general consensus, supported by the evidence of numerous celebrity careers that have benefited measurably from participation, is that I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is one of the most effective vehicles for career enhancement and public image improvement in British television. The format’s combination of extended public observation, genuine personal exposure, and enormous audience reach creates unique conditions for authentic public image development that is difficult to achieve through conventional media management. However, the show’s power to transform careers works in both directions — while most participants benefit from the positive-image opportunities the format provides, those who display behaviour that the public finds unappealing face the same authentic exposure with the opposite effect.
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