DAD’S GOT JUNGLE FEVER. HE’S NOT LAUGHED SO MUCH IN YEARS!
A COUPLE of hours after watching Tottenham’s victory over Chelsea, the viewing public were treated to my dad having to hold beach worms and witchetty grubs in his mouth on I’m A Celebrity.
Trust me, the fact that he is not able to keep up with the football scores will be bothering him far more than any Bushtucker Trial. After my mum, football is the biggest love of his life. Each weekend he’s there he will be desperate to know the results. I didn’t think he’d be able to cope without his phone and football, but he’s doing alright, isn’t he?
I’ve been struck by the overwhelming support for my dad since he went into the jungle. Football is such a tribal sport but it feels like everyone has got behind him. Wherever I go, it’s the first thing I’m asked: ‘How is your dad?’. Soon followed by: ‘Do you think he can win it?’
He is showing what good company he is. . . and he gained plenty of new friends by putting himself on ‘dunny’ duty. I’m used to seeing him animated on a touchline as a manager, but watching him over the past week, I do not think I have seen him laugh this much in years. He looks like he is having the time of his life.
It is a little strange seeing him there. When we were growing up, dad was never a great lover of a walk in the woods. He struggles to make a cup of tea too, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped him here.
He has gone to Australia with no expectations and I joked that I hope he’s voted off first for his sanity, but now I really hope he can go all the way. He’s gone from 10/1 to 4/5 ON with the bookies. But where he finishes won’t matter. The first thing he’ll ask Dec and Holly upon leaving will be: ‘Who won at the weekend?’