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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Mark Jefferies

I'm A Celebrity's Scarlette Douglas speaks out amid 'race row' claims over her and Charlene White's eviction from jungle

TV host Scarlette Douglas has spoken out over the I'm A Celebrity voting race row - suggesting she was evicted because she was an "underdog" up against more established stars.

The 35-year-old was the second contestant to leave camp, following Loose Women star Charlene White who was the first to go at the weekend.

Hundreds of people have taken to social media to speak of their disappointment and embarrassment that the two black females on the show were the first to go.

READ MORE: Garda in hospital after being kicked and punched in horrific group attack outside Ballyfermot pub

Asked directly about the race row comments and why she thinks they have gone first, Scarlette said: "All I can do in the jungle is just be me. And I think when Charlene went obviously we were all so shocked because she was a big personality of the jungle.

"And then I can't remember who it was, I think it was Boy George, he said people aren't voting for who they want to leave, they're voting for their favourite.

"So I've always come in here as an underdog. I've got the least profile of anybody else, you know, not everybody knows who I am. Hopefully they do now!

"So I was never going to get the most amount of votes. You know, even if you're just looking at something like Instagram, I always have the least amount of followers.

"If I go by something like that. I'm not going to get all the votes. So for me all I could have done in the jungle was do my best and hope people like and hope that people voted for me.

"But people aren't voting for me to leave. They're voting for who their favourites are, and if I'm not their favourite there's nothing I can do about that. I just have to be true to me. Be authentic and just enjoy the experience and when my time comes, my time comes wherever it is. You know I'm the second out, would have been great a lot further but that didn't happen.

(ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"So I can't take it as a negative, I have to take it as a positive, I've had an amazing experience. I've met some incredible people and take from that what you will."

A Place In The Sun host Scarlette was tearful when she left the show and after a long bath and feasting on Pringles, cheese and crackers, a Nutella filled croissant and lots of water, she admitted she was still shocked to be out.

Her exit was harder to take as she revealed other campmates are now desperate to leave the show because they want to be with their loved ones.

Scarlette revealed: "I am missing everybody in camp, I didn’t want to leave as early as I did.

"Others are struggling and they have been vocal about it. Sue is like 'I want to go now', Boy George is like yeah I want to go and I think Mike said he wants to go. They've done their time and they're happy to get out and they've been very vocal about that. And I was just not ready at all."

Turning to discuss Matt Hancock, she said she took the initiative to speak to him one-on-one away from camp to try to stop a potential "toxic" atmosphere being created.

She explained: "I don’t want to be off with anybody especially when you are all so close and tight in camp - you have all got to get on. Why create a toxic environment if you don’t have to?

"So for me I wanted to take Matt away I didn’t want to do it in front of everyone and make a big scene because it is not about that it is about ‘this is how I feel about the situation and I want you to know that’ but obviously while we are here we are going to be friends.

(James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"Don’t know about outside of the camp but in here we are going to work together, have a good time and we are all going to get on."

She added: "He is a person and people make mistakes, every human being makes mistakes. He made a very big one and he knows that, he is apologetic.

"The one thing about Matt is that he honestly just put himself up for everything. Yeah, so you can't knock someone that at least tries and he really really did in there. And yes, his dance moves were shocking. Honestly Matt cannot dance at all. It's not hard work if you've got a grove, Matt has no groove.

"And I don't ever want to see them again. But he did it and he had fun. Strictly could come calling you never know!

Asked if she liked him, she said: "I like his get up and go. Do I like Matt Hancock specifically? I don't know if I had enough time to get to know him."

(James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Scarlette, who will be back filming a new series of Channel 4 property show Worst House On The Street with brother Stuart in the coming weeks, hopes the jungle could be a springboard to new opportunities despite going out relatively early.

Sounding positive, she said: "The world is my oyster as they say, right? And I've always been that person. If I set a goal, I am going to be determined to reach that. I think this year, I've kind of achieved everything I wanted to achieve even before I found out about this.

"I could just be doing the things I was doing before and I will still be so happy and I am still doing those things. I've got more property shows that are happening. So that's great.

"But if it means that people can see the entertaining side of me, outside of the always doing property, then I've won. I'm so happy, people now see that I sing and dance, I do funny faces and silliness and I'm a big kid at heart.

"So I think that's the best part of it for me. If it springs me into bigger and better than fantastic, but I was happy before I will always be happy. So just take each day as it comes."

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