Corrie star ready for jungle life
CORONATION Street star Sair Khan is looking forward to viewers seeing her fun side when she goes into the Australian jungle.
The soap actress is one of the new camp-mates in the new series of I’m A Celebrity, which starts on Sunday
Sair admits it will feel weird to go in as herself rather than hiding behind her stern factory worker character Ayla Nazir.
She said: “The weirdest thing for me is going in as myself. My character is so different to me.
“She is serious, stern and she can be uptight. I am the opposite! I am such a goof.
“I am always laughing, being cheeky and I don’t take myself too seriously.
“I guess people haven’t seen me and I want them to like me! If they don’t like her, that’s fine as it is a character but if they don’t like me, then that will be hard to take.”
Revealing she is used to roughing it as a seasoned festival-goer at Glastonbury, Sair is determined to try her hardest in the trials.
She says: “I don’t want to be locked in a coffin in the dark or be in those water rising trials but I will definitely give it a go. It will be running out of time that is an issue for me rather than effort.”
She assures she will be doing the chores in camp but doesn’t don’t like bullies and I won’t stand for such behaviour.
“If I snap, then they will face my wrath!” she said.
Her Corrie bosses have, she says, been hugely supportive of her decision to take part and have busily rearranged a few episode schedules to fit everything in.
“Alya will be busy working,” explains Sair.
As for what she’ll would like to get out of the experience, she jokes it will be nice if people get her name right.
“I don’t think my profile is very high,” she reveals. “I am very much a normal girl who has a great job.
“If I come out and people know how to pronounce my name, then I will be happy with that.
“At the moment, most of the time it is ‘that girl from Coronation Street.’”
Asked if she’d like to win she said: “There is no chance I am going to win whatsoever.
“I don’t think it is about the winning. Just to be able to do those amazing trials is winning to me.
“This is a chance to do something different. There is no pressure on me. Afterwards I will go back to work having had an amazing experience.”
Sair will be joined in the jungle by Hollyoaks star Malique ThompsonDwyer, from Oldham.
Malique has admitted to being claustrophobic and that he is not a fan of the eating trials.
He said: “Everyone has phobias and I am terrified of some of the things on the programme. For me eating testicles is going to be the worse.
“I am quite picky with my food so that’s going to be hard.”
The line-up is completed by TV host Noel Edmonds, actor John Barrowman, former football manager Harry Redknapp, star of ITV quiz The Chase Anne Hegerty, actress Emily Atack, DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles, ex-EastEnders actress Rita Simons, The Vamps star James McVey, and X-Factor runner-up Fleur East.