Food critic Grace Dent is said to have been pushed to her limits, both mentally and physically, as she embarked on her gruelling I’m A Celebrity journey – and it’s already over.
A source spoke out on the 50-year-old’s premature exit after she was spotted flying from Brisbane to Singapore – the first leg of her flight home – claiming her “broken” appearance has left the star’s friends worried.
A source claimed to The Sun: “Grace is hugely relieved to be out of I’m A Celeb. She pulled the plug because she couldn’t carry on, mentally or physically.
“It has been incredibly difficult for her and it all became too much. The cold and wet weather, coupled with the punishing tasks and lack of food took its toll.”
Suggesting that the star has “lost a lot of weight” due to the rations in camp, the source continued: “Her friends just want her to get home.”
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Meanwhile, Grace had also reportedly sparked concern over how quiet she appeared to be as the Brexit debate between French TV star Fred Sirieix and former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage unfolded on Sunday night.
The source claimed: “Grace is incredibly talented and very passionate about politics. When she failed to get involved, it was clear she was feeling defeated.”
They also stated that the one-year anniversary of Grace’s father George’s death is coming up in a few weeks, which may have been “playing on her mind”.
Declaring that leaving the show on medical grounds was “the best thing she could have done”.
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Meanwhile, Grace’s opinion of the show emerged more than a decade ago in a recently unearthed piece she wrote for the Independent.
The food critic claimed that the show was “puerile” and responsible for animal cruelty, an allegation that naturalist Chris Packham seemed to share when he wrote an open letter to Ant and Dec, posted on Twitter (X) today.
She’d exclaimed in no uncertain times in her article: “Let’s be frank, I’m a Celeb, love or hate it, is far from a deluxe viewing experience. It is a puerile venture into starvation, televised constipation and animal cruelty, abbreviated by ads for Iceland £1 curries.”
The food critic continued: “I snap my blinds firmly shut before settling down to watch I’m a Celeb, in fear that the theme tune alone devalues my property.”
However, she admitted at the time that she “invariably does watch”, as “the buzz about contestants such as the [former] Tory MP Nadine Dorries becomes so heady that it’s quite impossible not to take a peek, to see if she has been locked in a coffin and gnawed by rats”.
When the article originally re-emerged, Grace shrugged off concerns, explaining: “I’ve made jokes about everything because that’s what I do. Like Big Brother, and soap[s], I always did that from the place of someone that really loved them, and really watched them.”
However, last week, Grace confided in This Morning’s Josie Gibson about how desperate she was feeling in camp, telling her co-star: “I’ve had enough. I’ve completely had enough. I just want to go home.”
The star, who is believed to have suffered the “final straw” when she was nominated for the Down The Tubes Bushtucker Trial at the weekend, became increasingly unhappy in the jungle.
Another source also welcomed her decision to leave, stating: “The show is meant to test you but not break you.”
Express.co.uk has approached ITV and Grace’s representatives for comment.
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