I’m A Celebrity… South Africa has kicked off on ITV and the first batch of celebrities have arrived at camp. No sooner than they’d settled in, the group were left open-mouthed after they were joined by another ex-campmate.
“I couldn’t let you do this without Jungle Gill!” Gillian McKeith cried, jumping out of a box. Not everyone looked happy, though, and Shaun Ryder’s face was aghast.
“When I think about doing I’m A Celebrity again, I feel apprehensive and petrified,” said Gillian of returning to the show. “It’s going to be more terrifying this time because back then, I didn’t know what to expect but this time I can’t use that as an excuse. What I felt before feels 1000 times worse now and all of it freaks me out but I feel I’ve got a calling to represent all the scaredy cats in Britain – and that is the reason why I’ve said yes.”
Read more: I'm A Celebrity... South Africa teases camp unrest as Gillian McKeith makes surprise arrival
But who is Gillian McKeith, why does everyone talk about her iconic ‘fainting’ episode, what’s the beef with her and Shaun Ryder and what is her net worth? Here’s everything you need to know. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.
Who is Gillian McKeith?
Gillian, 63, is a Scottish TV personality and writer. She primarily works promoting various pseudoscientific ideas about health and nutrition.
She is perhaps best known for being the original host of Channel 4 dieting show You Are What You Eat. Gillian later appeared on Supersize vs Superskinny in 2008.
In 2010 Gillian had her first stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and was consistently voted to do Bushtucker Trials by the public. She was eliminated fifth that year.
Gillian’s I’m A Celebrity 'faint'
It’s safe to say that we’ll probably never forget Gillian’s iconic 'faint' on I’m A Celeb in 2010. The presenter seemingly collapsed to the ground after being asked to do her seventh Trial in a row.
Ever since, people have questioned whether Gillian was telling the truth - including Carol Vorderman, who accused her of “pretending” last year. Ahead of returning to the show, Gillian said that she has “never been able to forget” the incident.
“I have a history of fainting since childhood,” she explained. The day before we did the live Trial, I hadn’t had much to eat and I wasn’t feeling very well – which is the precursor to passing out. I have fainted several times and not just in the jungle. I even fainted at a wedding once when I was the bridesmaid. They were about to say: ‘do you take this man to be your husband?’ and I passed out.
“Sometimes you can stop yourself if you get close to the ground but the problem with the jungle is there were all these leeches and so there was no way I was going to throw myself on the ground.
“But I have never been able to forget about my fainting in the jungle! I have been reminded about I’m A Celebrity every single day since I came out by taxi drivers and people in the street! They all talk about it as if it were yesterday. They say I was entertaining. It might have been for them but it certainly wasn’t for me!”
What happened between Gillian and Shaun Ryder?
Whilst appearing together on I’m A Celebrity in 2010, Gillian and Shaun came to blows on several occasions. Do you think they’ll be able to settle their differences this time round? Let us know in the comments.
At one point, upon being forced to stand in cold water, the Happy Mondays musician called Gillian “a f***ing irritating woman”, to which she replied: “You say nasty things all the time... your tone, everything. The way you speak to everyone.”
They also argued when Gillian told Shaun not to smoke in front of her. “You f***ing what? I’ll smoke where I want, you can go in the f***ing toilet. I smoke where I want, don’t tell me where I can’t smoke.”
After Gillian then asked him not to swear, Shaun responded: “I’ll f***ing swear when I want to swear so f*** off.” He later apologised.
What is Gillian McKeith’s net worth?
According to AllFamousBirthdays, Gillian is worth £ 4,008,850.00 ($5 Million). I'm A Celebrity... South Africa continues on ITV1 at 9pm on Tuesday, April 25.
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