Gillian McKeith joined the first nine contestants on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! All-stars earlier this week - Carol Vorderman, Shaun Ryder, Helen Flanagan, Janice Dickinson, Amir Khan, Jordan Banjo, Fatima Whitbread, Paul Burrell, and Phil Tufnell.
The former celebs who appeared on the popular gruesome reality show in previous years will battle it out to become the ultimate 'jungle legend' being filmed in a brand new location in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
And fans of the hit ITV programme could be in for another surprising guest to join the current campmates, as Joe Swash could be returning to delight his co-stars and viewers with some TV gold.
The 41-year-old took part in its eighth series back in 2008 and was crowned King of the jungle. The former EastEnders actor went on to have a long-running relationship with the show after he became part of the presenting team on the spin-off series.
But his career has not always been high-flying appearances, despite becoming involved in theatre from a young age... let's take a look at how he climbed the showbiz ladder to stardom on our TV screens.
Joe's childhood
Joe Swash, full name Joseph Adam Swash, was born in London and it wasn't long before his hunger for all things glittering in the showbiz world became apparent.
Joe studied at Highbury Grove School in Islington and attended Anna Scher Theatre School. He experienced a very traumatic experience as a child with the passing of his dad Ricky, who died from an undiagnosed heart condition.
At the age of only seven, Joe made his first television debut in an Andrex advertisement before going on to a string of further acting roles appearing in series such as Casualty, The South Bank Show, The Bill, "Soldier Soldier" and Nickelodeon's LOL: Laugh Out Loud.
EastEnders 'wheeler-dealer'
Then came along his big break in April 2003, as the English actor landed a role in BBC soap EastEnders, having been on the edge of chucking in the towel on his career.
He first played Mickey Miller, famously known for his money-making scams and quickly became a household favourite with the character going on to have an expanded family cast alongside him on the show as producer Louise Berridge turned Mickey into a regular.
Joe was forced to take a three-month break from the show in 2005 after he contracted meningoencephalitis, a form of meningitis in the brain.
It was just a few years later in 2008 when it was announced that Joe, along with the actor who plays his stepfather, David Spinx, were being written out of EastEnders in a "big explosive storyline".
Since the announcement of his departure, Joe was critical of the direction producers took with his character and blamed his three-month screen absence in 2005 on Mickey becoming little more than "light-relief" but he briefly returned for two episodes in 2011 to mark his on-screen brother's exit.
Other television appearances
- 2009 - Joe Swash appeared alongside ex-rugby player Austin Healey in the second series of BBC gameshow Hole in the Wall, as a team captain.
- 2010 - In 2010, he was a team captain on What Do Kids Know? with Rufus Hound and Sara Cox on Watch.
- 2011 - At a turning point in his career, Joe presented the popular children's show Gimme A Break on the CBBC Channel before working alongside late host Caroline Flack on ITV2's Minute to Win It as team captains.
- 2013/14 - Joe was also a regular team captain on the ITV2 panel show Fake Reaction.
- 2016 - He also appeared in the line-up on The Jump as a contestant that followed celebs as they tried to master various winter sports.
- 2020- Joe got on his skating boots for the twelfth series of Dancing on Ice when he was partnered with Alexandra Schauman until she sustained an injury three weeks in and got re-partnered with Alex Murphy. The pair went on to win the series beating Perri Kiely and his partner Vanessa Bauer
- 2021 - The 41-year-old also gave his hand in the kitchen when he appeared on celebrity Masterchef and made made the final three.
Aside from his appearances on the small screen, Joe also performed as Buttons in the pantomime Cinderella. In 2009 and 2010, he appeared in the pantomime 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in Bristol.
Joe's romances over the years and family life today
Joe Swash and his late partner Emma Sophocleous previously got engaged, with the couple announcing they had welcomed their son Harry in 2007. However, their romance fizzled out, announcing their separation the following year.
He then moved on to start dating X Factor contestant Stacey Solomon in 2016 after first meeting on I'm a Celebrity years previously. The couple announced they were expecting their first child together in 2019 and started up their family unit, with Stacey also having two sons Zack and Leighton from a previous relationship.
In May 2019, Solomon gave birth to their first child together, a boy named Rex, before Joe got down on one knee in December 2020 and they tied the knot in a small ceremony held at their home, Pickle Cottage, in Essex.
They have gone on to have their daughter Rose, one, and Belle, who they welcomed into the family fold in February this year.
I'm A Celebrity... South Africa continues 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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