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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Lisa McLoughlin

Jamie Lynn Spears becomes the second celeb to quit I'm A Celebrity on medical grounds

Jamie Lynn Spears has quit I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! on "medical grounds".

The American star becomes the second celeb to leave the jungle for health reasons days after food critic Grace Dent's shock exit.

ITV confirmed Spears' exit on Wednesday, announcing in a statement to The Standard: "Jamie Lynn Spears has left I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! on medical grounds.

"She's been a fantastic campmate who has triumphed at trials and bonded well with her fellow celebrities."

Viewers will see the Zoe 101 star for the final time during Wednesday's installment where her campmates will also learn of her departure.

Her exit from camp may not come as a surprise to viewers after she threatened to quit the beloved series last week.

Restaurant critic Grace Dent quit the jungle earlier this week (PA Wire)

The US singer and actress – sister of superstar Britney – opened up to campmates about how she was finding it difficult to be so far from her family.

Her emotions bubbled up further when four celebrities were tasked with a challenge to win the contestants’ luxury items, with hers being a photo of her two daughters.

EastEnders star Danielle Harold, radio DJ Sam Thompson, Dent and TV presenter Marvin Humes had to pair up and manoeuvre long paddles to hold up a box denoting each campmate’s luxury item.

If they held up the box long enough to stop it falling down a trapdoor then they secured the prize.

After being showered with critters, they secured the boxes of TV presenter Josie Gibson, Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, YouTuber Nella Rose and Harold.

They returned to camp to reveal the good and bad news to their fellow celebrities and apologised to Spears for not securing her photograph.

In the Bush Telegraph, Spears said: “Why would y’all put them through that? They feel guilty that they didn’t come back with the gifts for their friends. This is not OK. I want to go home.”

She then told her campmates: “I just went and told them, I was like, ‘It’s so effed up of y’all to put them through that’. I was like, ‘This is not fair. I quit. I don’t want to do it. I do not want to be here. That’s so unfair’.”

She added: “I just want to see my kids. Like I’ll stay out here with these freaking critters, just let me see them. I’m just struggling.”

Her campmates comforted her and she later told them she was not going to leave the jungle early. However, Spears has now left prematurely.

The TV star's departure comes after ITV announced on Monday morning that Guardian columnist Dent had been forced to leave the show on "medical grounds".

A show spokesperson said: "Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds.

"She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike."

Dent was set to appear in a Bushtucker Trial on Monday night's episode of the show alongside This Morning's Josie Gibson - but she was replaced by Danielle Harold.

A source close to the MasterChef star told the Mail Online that Dent being voted to do a trial - called Touchdown of Terror - with Gibson was "the straw that broke the camel’s back" and was the reason she opted to leave.

They said: "Grace decided to leave the jungle soon after it was announced that she would be doing the latest Bushtucker Trial.

"Knowing that she would be facing another tough challenge was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"It was mutually agreed upon that she would stand down from the competition, it was clear that she wasn't being herself, she had lost all energy when usually she's witty and fun to be around.

"ITV's duty of care and welfare teams had stepped in, and rightly so.

"She had struggled since living in the camp with less amenities, the weather this year has been particularly miserable and as a restaurant critic, not eating well proved to be harder than she could have ever imagined.

"Grace is looking forward to seeing her loved ones now and after a few days of rest and recovery will be fine."

Prior to her exit, scores of viewers took to social media to voice concern over the appearance of Dent, 50, on Sunday night's show - with many saying she looked "ill".

Fans said they didn't recognise the usually glam and outspoken MasterChef star after her 10-day stint in the jungle.

One commented:  "Is Grace Dent ok? She doesn't look alive to me..." 

While another said: "She looks really ill doesn't she!"

And then a third agreed: "Yes scarily unwell!"

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