Countdown whizz Carol Vorderman has divulged that she once had a passionate affair in South Africa ahead of the "All Stars" spin-off series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! airing next week. Carol, now 62, will be joining a host of other stars in the South African sunshine for a special series that was filmed in late 2022.
But it wasn't Carol's first visit to the country, as she has revealed that she found love there when she was just a teenager. Speaking ahead of the series kicking off on April 24, the Clifton resident said: "I can't wait to take part in this new series.
"I loved everything about I'm A Celebrity. I went to South Africa when I was 19."
Read more: Carol Vorderman shares I'm A Celeb South Africa insight week before ITV show begins
Carol, who studied engineering at the University of Cambridge, continued: "I met the first love of my life when I was working on an engineering construction site. My boss was 24 and we fell in love.
"His next job was in Botswana and I flew over. There were giraffes running around and I swam with great white sharks.
"I've not been on a safari for 40 years and I can't wait now to do the Trials. I will try everything and I will try my absolute best."
Carol's initial stint in the jungle was back in 2016, when she was campmates with Gogglebox TV critic Scarlett Moffatt, South Gloucestershire comedian Joel Dommett, and Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas. The 16th series served as an educational trip for Carol, who discovered she could "get drunk on one glass of wine" after going without alcohol for a month and then having a glass of wine in The Jungle Arms.
Carol has opened up on how much she owes on the ITV series, confessing that it "changed me a lot". The Pride of Britain host said: "It made me realise that I was missing many things I loved and within a short space of time after leaving the camp, I bought a little house in West Wales.
"I love Wales and I love being out at night. I’ve got a converted van and I live a bit of a hippie life! I go paddle boarding all the time now.
"You get to a point in life where you think everything is all a bonus. You can’t say 'I will do that in 20 years' time'. It made me realise that you need to live in the now.
"I want to say a big 'thank you' to Ant & Dec when I see them in South Africa and I can't wait to take part in this new series. I loved everything about I'm A Celebrity."
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