SHANE: I’M NOT RICHIE
I’M A CELEBRITY GIG HAS GOT ME OUT OF THE DOLE-DRUMS
SHANE RICHIE has confessed his I’m A Celebrity appearance fee saved him from having to sign on the dole.
The EastEnders actor has been offered the chance to star in the ITV reality show several times over the years, but finally agreed after being forced to get rid of his car when the pandemic killed off his showbiz work.
Talking about accepting the challenge for the money, he asked: ‘Am I the only one who is?’ Shane, 56, doesn’t yet know the identities of his campmates – they are deep in isolation before entering Gwrych Castle in north Wales on Sunday.
He added: ‘I made a successful career and have been so lucky, and if I didn’t work it’s always been my choice. And you always save enough money for a rainy day, especially as a family man. I just didn’t think the rainy day would last eight months.
‘I’ll be all right because if the worst comes to the worst, I’ll do a stand-up tour, I’ll resurrect a musical, I’ll find something. But I’ve got mates who ploughed their life savings into a sandwich bar and within four weeks everything had gone.’
Despite flogging his car, Shane is yet to sign on. ‘I’ve not taken any government assistance but the mortgage, yeah, thankfully...
‘I got rid of my car because it was too much money and we decided we only needed one car, so I get around on a moped now.’
He says he was offered the very first I’m A Celebrity gig, in Australia, nearly 20 years ago.
‘I’d just started EastEnders so I couldn’t get out to do it. Then they stopped asking because I was always busy,’ he added.
‘When they asked in January, I was thinking, “I’m going to be touring playing a drag queen in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, come back, do a TV series then all the family can go to Australia then come back in time to open in panto at Wimbledon. Perfect year!” Then everything got stopped.’