Spiders’ crisis for TV jungle
Bosses fear plague hell at TV camp
A PLAGUE of giant spiders could scare away stars from this year’s I’m A Celebrity.
Jungle telly chiefs fear the explosion of poisonous huntsman arachnids could put off top showbiz targets.
I’M A Celeb bosses are worried an invasion of giant spiders may frighten off their top targets for this year’s series.
Huge venomous huntsman spiders are breeding in their hundreds near the ITV show’s set in Australia.
Spiders have always featured in Bushtucker Trials, with former javelin champ Fatima Whitbread confronting the huntsman variety during a challenge in 2011.
But bosses fear the scary plague could be a step too far for spooked celebs.
A show insider said: “They can’t believe their rotten luck.
“Stars who sign up to the show expect to be given a fright, but there’s a limit for everyone.
“The bigger names are their biggest worry because they don’t need the money as much and won’t risk it.
“It is a disastrous situation to find themselves in with time running out.”
Huntsman spiders can grow up to 1ft long and although they are not deadly to humans, their painful bite can cause nausea, headaches, vomiting and heart palpitations.
Shock footage showed hundreds of them leaving their nest just down the road from the set.
The infestation comes as a huge blow after bosses were given a boost when host Ant McPartlin was revealed to be recovering well in rehab.
It was hoped he could even be on track to present the show with Declan Donnelly in November.
ITV has rigid safety precautions in place for the show, but last year were reported to be considering halting the series after a similar spider problem.
The camp was briefly placed on lockdown after eight deadly funnel-web spiders – dubbed the “world’s most dangerous” – were found nearby in the jungle.