I’m A Celebrity… South Africa star Fatima Whitbread tried for 11 years to appear in the line up for the ITV reality show.
The Olympic athlete, 62, made it onto I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2011 where she finished in third place behind former TOWIE star Mark Wright and McFly’s Dougie Poynter.
She has now returned to the gruelling programme for its all stars series which was filmed in South Africa in 2022 and airing at the moment.
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When asked why she decided to return, Fatima explained how much she enjoyed her first experience on the show before revealing the lengthy amount of time she waited to appear.
(Image: ITV / Rex Features)
“For me it was a surreal experience the first time around,” she exclusively told Daily Star and other press.
The retired javelin thrower continued: “Once I heard about I’m A Celeb I was working relentlessly to get on there so it took me about 11 years before I did.
“The experience was second to none. This time round, for me it was all about working with the other campmates and learning about who they were and what made them tick.”
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Fatima added: “It was about whether I could learn more about myself and being amongst all those people because it’s quite a surreal thing to do. I was excited to go back into the bush in South Africa and have another crack at it.”
Janice Dickinson admitted it was the “camaraderie” is what brought her back to the show.
The 68-year-old first entered the jungle back in 2007 and finished runner-up behind late arrival Christopher Biggins.
She explained: “I remember the camaraderie of folks inside the camp was something that was great.
“The camaraderie is what brought me back and being on the show is fantastic.”
The American model added: “The trials that they make us do are sometimes not so fantastic but just the trials, the show, the ambiance of South Africa, everything seemed to gel.”
I’m A Celebrity… South Africa airs weekdays at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
