Scarlett: “The jungle needs Cheryl”
Scarlett Moffatt chats to Closer about being the new presenter of I’m A Celeb!’s Extra Camp and taking on the trolls over her weight
In Scarlett Moffatt’s world, I there’s no slowing down. Just weeks after the October release of her second book Me Life Story, Sofa So Good, she’s returned to Australia – a year after she was crowned Queen of the Jungle, a life-changing title she’s more than happy to hand over.
Scarlett, 27, says, “I’m so excited! And I’m hoping [the winner] is a girl – girl power all the way. I’m hoping they get as much luck as I have. This time last year I was still in my 9-5 job, so this is just bizarre.
GEORDIE POWER
“Another Geordie winning would be amazing. How many more girl Geordies can we pull out of the bag? Get them all in, get Cheryl involved. I don’t know who’s going in; they don’t tell us anything… I want to be like Katie Price and go back in. Even though I had such a good experience, there would be different people so you’d learn new things about yourself. Ant [Mcpartlin] and Dec’s [Donnelly] advice to me was, ‘Be yourself’ and I’m like, ‘Well, if they think I’m all right, then that’s OK because they know what they’re talking about.’”
Since quitting Gogglebox last year – the show that catapulted her to fame – Scarlett landed the coveted job of hosting the remake of Streetmate, and now she’s the new face of ITV2’S Extra Camp, alongside (fellow 2016 finalist) comic Joel Dommett, and I’m A Celeb! veteran Joe Swash.
She says, “I feel ‘good nervous.’ For me, it’s like full circle, because I went from watching it as an avid fan from the age of 11 with my mam and dad, and then people watching me and now this. I’m excited to actually see Australia. Last year we could’ve been anywhere, I didn’t even set foot on a beach.”
For her three-week stint Down Under, Scarlett is packing plenty of fake tan, and has even had veneers specially fitted.
She says, “When I was 11, I smashed my teeth in a bike accident. I love smiling but I’ve never felt properly confident. When I had plastic ones put in for a week I ate peanut butter and they stuck together!”
While she’s a regular on the celebrity circuit, the TV presenter still pinches herself about meeting her idols.
She says, “I remember feeling so embarrassed after I first met Ant and Dec. I was like, ‘What can I say that’s really cool?’ That all went out of the window because as soon as I saw them I was like, ‘Wonky Donkey [a game on their ’90s show, SM:TV] was the highlight of my life when I was a kid!’ And then afterwards it was like, ‘OMG, I can never relive that moment…’”
But, along with the upside of fame, Scarlett’s had to deal with her share of body bullies. Since revealing a dramatic 3st weight loss this January – dropping from a size 18 to an 8 – Scarlett’s gradually regained some of her lost curves. Trolls were quick to judge her fuller figure, with one writing, “I see she’s ditched her diet again”. While another wrote, “When you lose weight too fast it comes back with a vengeance.”
DATING AGAIN
Speaking to Closer recently, Scarlett admitted she’s learned to ignore the trolls: “Bullies are like sandpaper – the more they wear you down, the more polished you end up becoming… It’s taught me to never make anyone feel how those bullies made me feel.”
In her new autobiography, she reveals she slimmed down for health reasons and to inspire other women, saying, “I’m not superhuman; I’m just the average northern lass who likes a chip-shop dinner and doesn’t particularly like yoga and cross-training.”
Meanwhile, we wonder if a newlysingle Scarlett – she split from hairdresser boyfriend Luke Crodden, 28, last month – will be looking for love Down Under?
She tells Closer, “It feels weird but exciting. I don’t mind whether the next person I date is a celebrity or someone normal – as long as they’re a nice person. I’m not really fussy at all.” ● I’m A Celeb! starts Sun 19 Nov, 9pm, ITV Extra Camp starts at, 10.45pm, ITV2