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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
David Kent

Irish I'm a Celebrity stars - former winner, unlikely friendship and blazing row

There's a sense of normality about the place after I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here returned to our screens over the weekend.

The first 48 hours saw a contestant leave, a terrified campmate yell out the phrase and a remarkable Bushtucker trial performance on Monday evening.

Once again, there are 12 famous faces down under taking part, but there are no Irish celebs among the lineup.

READ MORE: I'm A Celebrity moved to new timeslot on Virgin Media One in major schedule shake-up

Overall, our record on the show is fairly solid, but the last time we heard an Irish accent chatting away to Ant and Dec was 2019 - ironically, the last time the show was set in Oz.

Here are the five Irish faces to have chowed down on kangaroo bits, witchetty grubs and the worst of all: rice and beans.

Andrew Maxwell

Beginning in 2019, when comedian Andrew Maxwell represented the Irish in the Virgin Media show.

Andrew Maxwell was second to be evicted (ITV/REX)

He split opinion after arguments with fellow campmates Ian Wright and Jacqueline Jossa, with some viewers slated the star for "winding people up" and creating "drama.

But many I'm A Celeb viewers thought there was no need for Ian to snap at Andrew when he was only trying to help him with food one occasion.

Over 600 complaints were made about the treatment he faced in camp.

Andrew was eliminated second from the series, which was eventually won by Jossa.

Fran Cosgrave

Fifteen years before Andrew, Fran Cosgrave became the first Irish contestant on the reality show in 2004.

FRAN COSGRAVE (ITV)

He won 18 stars across four Bushtucker trials for the camp, finish third, behind Joe Pasquale and Paul Burrell.

The former Westlife bodyguard had his own TV show with Callum Best and went on to win Celebrity Love Island in 2005.

Speaking of Westlife...

Kian Egan

Fran may have finished third, but we do have an I'm a Celebrity winner to our name.

Kian Egan the Westlife singer won I'm a Celebrity in 2013 (ITV)

That's Kian Egan, who chose to spend the first year after Westlife split as the perfect time to enter the iconic jungle in 2013.

He became the first celebrity born outside the United Kingdom to win the series since Gino D'Acampo did it, all thanks to a charming personality, triumphing with 67% of the public vote in the final.

Nadia Forde

Ireland also had an entrant in 2014, but we couldn't make it two-in-a-row.

Nadia Forde comforts Gemma Collins on I'm a celeb (REX)

Former model Nadia did manage to take part in one trial, lasting 17 days in camp and spending a terrifying time in the 'Bush Bunker' alongside Coronation Street star Craig Charles.

She was the second celeb to be booted out by viewers.

Nadine Coyle

Finishing back where we started in 2019 - and while Andrew Maxwell finished second-last, former Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle had a bit more success.

Caitlyn Jenner Nadine Coyle Kate Garraway (ITV)

From the moment she jumped out of a helicopter to camp, Nadine struck up a friendship with Caitlyn Jenner.

Though she did make a couple of blunders, she managed to endear herself to fans and viewers even more by doing so.

She was only in the bottom two twice across her time in the jungle, eventually finishing 5th.

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