‘I’ve left the jungle fitter and stronger than I’ve probably been since I was at school’
NIGEL Farage insists he’s feeling fitter than at any time since he was at school thanks to I’m A Celebrity.
The former Ukip and Brexit Party leader, 59, arrived back from
Australia at Heathrow Airport yesterday having finished third in the ITV series. Farage spent 23 nights in the jungle, finishing behind the show’s winner, reality TV star Sam Thompson, and former world champion boxer Tony Bellew.
He said: “I did 23 nights in the jungle and, by the end of that, I was 20 years older than all the other contestants that were left.
“So all I would say is the whole thing was much more physical than I could ever have believed, even ferrying buckets of water up from the pump to the camp – all of that is the biggest detox. No tea, no coffee, no booze, lots of exercise.
“So after 23 nights in there I’ve left it in many ways fitter and stronger than I’ve probably been since I was at school. So there’s a real upside to it.”
Farage added that he was “absolutely thrilled” to make it to the series finale and had a “super” time.
But he is now “excited to get back to work”.
He added: “I think the news agenda is going to be busy. And if my popularity has risen 20% among Conservative voters in Britain, well, there’s an audience that might want to listen.”
Farage quit the Tories in 1992 but he has been tipped to rejoin. However, he has labelled the current Conservatives a “shambles” and vowed not to rejoin while Rishi Sunak is leader. Former Made In Chelsea star Thompson, 31, and Bellew, 41, went through to the final after receiving 43.4% and 30.1% of the first vote on Sunday, while Farage secured 25.8%.
Finale
Thompson went on to win the show with 56.6% of the final vote. ITV said the finale saw an average audience of 6.6 million tune in on the night.
That was a major drop from the 10.1 million viewers who watched former England footballer Jill Scott beat politician Matt Hancock and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner to become the jungle champion last year. Sunday’s show attracted a peak audience of 7.6 million, while the 2022 finale peaked at 11.5 million.