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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Ellie Harrison

Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder: When was the I’m a Celebrity South Africa contestant on the show before?

ITV

A whole batch of celebrities have returned to the jungle in ITV’s new All-Stars edition of I’m a Celebrity – set in South Africa.

I’m a Celebrity... South Africa sees a number of memorable past contestants come back to the series for a new set of challenges.

Carol Vorderman and ex-royal butler Paul Burrell are among those competing in the series.

ITV has promised that the new location will provide “bigger” and “tougher” challenges in a “harsher and more unforgiving” environment. Read everything you need to know about the pre-recorded spinoff here.

One of the contestants is the music legend Shaun Ryder, who first appeared on the show in 2010, where he finished second behind Stacey Solomon.

Ryder, 60, is an English singer, songwriter and poet. He shot to fame as the lead singer of Happy Mondays, and was a leading figure in the Madchester cultural scene during the late Eighties and early Nineties.

In 1993, he formed another band, Black Grape, with former Happy Mondays dancer Bez.

He grew up in Lancashire and left school at 13 to work on a building site.

His early years with Happy Mondays were chronicled in the 2002 British biographical comedy-drama film 24 Hour Party People, a semi-fictional account of Factory Records and the Manchester music scene of the time.

The band’s most loved tracks include “Step On” and “Loose Fit”.

Shaun Ryder (ITV)

Ryder is no stranger to the small screen. In 2004, he was the subject of Richard Macer’s BBC Three documentary Shaun Ryder: The Ecstasy and the Agony and he once appeared in an episode of comedy series Shameless as himself.

He hosted the television show Shaun Ryder on UFOs (he has claimed he once met aliens) and has also appeared on Would I Lie to You?, Celebrity Juice, and Celebrity Mastermind.

The singer used to struggle with heroin addiction. He later said he overcame it by taking up cycling.

He has six children and shares two with his wife Joanne, who he married in 2010.

When asked by ITV whether he has the skills to take on a very different jungle experience to the one in Australia, Shaun jokingly replied: “I haven’t got the skills to boil an egg let alone take on the South African jungle!”

I’m a Celebrity... South Africa airs on weeknights at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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