In the days since former Love Island contest Olivia Attwood was forced to leave the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! jungle on Monday, November 7, viewers have been speculating the real reason behind her shock exit after ITV revealed that it was a medical emergency that instigated her withdrawal.
Now, it seems that an additional reason has been added into the mix. The 31-year-old model and tv personality from London was said to have wanted to return to camp after undergoing medical assessment, but she was allegedly not allowed back in after breaking the show’s strict Covid-rules by leaving the main camp and Covid bubble.
It has been reported that her potential to infect the other celebrity contestants by coming back into the jungle without isolating was feared by bosses at the broadcasting house. As a result she quit the much-loved show prematurely - after just 24 hours. In order for her to be welcomed back into jungle safely, Olivia - who was heavily tipped as one to watch in claiming the jungle crown - would have to be kept in isolation for one week, meaning she would re-enter halfway through the show. A source told The Sun: "She could see it was an impossible situation."
Read more: ITV I'm A Celebrity staff 'in floods of tears' over Olivia Attwood's exit
Another told the publication: "It was felt this would be too much time to spend away from the competition and potentially place her campmates at a disadvantage to her. Obviously viewers at home couldn’t include her in any votes, including selecting them for different challenges during the series.
"Olivia would have been going back in almost halfway through the series, which simply wasn’t fair. As frustrating and upsetting as that was for Olivia, who was willing to do whatever it took to go back, she could also see it was an impossible situation.”
The former Love Island star has since flown back to the UK, though she is yet to speak out on the matter.
At the time, I'm A Celebrity confirmed her withdrawal in a statement which read: "As a precautionary measure Olivia needed to leave the jungle to undergo some medical checks. Unfortunately the medical team has advised it is not safe for Olivia to return to camp as there needs to be a further investigation.
"She has been absolutely brilliant and she’ll be very much missed on the show."
Those monitoring her social media account have added that viewers "will hear the truth from Olivia in due course" and posted a statement on the model's Instagram story on Monday ahead of the show's second episode which read: "To say Olivia is heartbroken would be an understatement, she dreamed of doing I'm a Celeb for years, and was absolutely loving every second of the show and throwing herself into jungle life feet first (just as we knew she would).
"However, for reasons beyond her control her journey has been cut short. Your support and kind words have meant the world to her now as much as it always has."
They added: "You will hear the truth from Olivia in due course and she will be back on your screens in the New Year. PS. Who's going to roast Matt Hancock now?"
It seems her exit has caused quite a stir amongst crew members as it was revealed staff from the show were in "floods of tears in Oz as they were so desperate to keep her and are devastated she’s gone". Read more on that here.
ITV have confirmed they have nothing further to add other than their previous statement, which reads: "As a precautionary measure Olivia needed to leave the jungle to undergo some medical checks. Unfortunately the medical team has advised it is not safe for Olivia to return to camp as there needs to be a further investigation. She has been absolutely brilliant and she'll be very much missed on the show."
I'm A Celebrity continues tonight at 9pm on ITV.
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