King ’Arry
2018 Jungle winner will make a fortune
HARRY Redknapp is planning a “jungle book” about his time in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! – and it will land him far more than his £500,000 appearance fee.
The former football manager was already top of the league for earning power before being crowned King of the Jungle last night, with a series of big-money deals already lined up. Publishers were scrambling to snap up what is sure to become a bestselling new autobiography that includes tales of his time in the jungle. On his final day there yesterday Harry, 71, said: “It’s been a great experience, I’ve loved it. It’s been amazing.
“My mates all said, ‘You’ll last two days Harry’, that I’d miss my family and football, but I’m still here today.
“I’ve laughed and laughed and laughed, it’s been brilliant.”
Harry, who had never watched the show before, won over viewers from the start with his incredible anecdotes and love of his wife Sandra.
Campmates who left the show said
he spoke of her every day as “my life”. When she was allowed briefly into camp as part of a reunion last week it left Harry in tears and melted viewers’ hearts.
Harry also built up an unlikely friendship with Noel Edmonds, who was a late entry to the camp and, as emperor in a task, chose Harry as his advisor. After leaving the show Noel, 69, told how he made Harry laugh.
He explained: “Harry said, ‘I didn’t laugh when I was a full-time football manager.’ He said the stress and the strain and how quickly you are exposed to people hating you impacted on him and he couldn’t sleep. Then he said, ‘I became a miserable b*stard. I haven’t laughed this much until I met you’.”
Noel said there is an offer for the pair to make their own TV show next year if Harry wants to sign up. But before any deals are done, Harry is expected today to tuck into some of the foods he has missed most – stew and dumplings, cheese rolls and jam roly-poly, which he mentioned almost daily in the jungle.
And he added: “I can’t wait to kiss Sandra and have a shower.”
Harry has already written five books and is now expected to bring out a sixth one covering the past five years, including tales about I’m A Celebrity and his personal life with Sandra.
It is understood several publishers are lining up offers.
Talking about his jungle high points last night, he said he “ruined Frank Sinatra” by singing My Way during a karaoke session on the show last week.
But he added: “It’s been amazing and I’ve loved every minute of it.”