Telly’s jungle censors want Kezia Gagdale
Producers axe political rows with campmates
Dumped I’m A Celebrity star Shappi Khorsandi has revealed the makers of the show have axed Kezia Dugdale’s Dugdale political rows with fellowfel campers.
The comedian,com 44, was the first campmatcampmate evicted for receiving the least votes, following Jack MaynardMaynard, who was kicked out by ITV llast week. And she has told how the show’show’s executives have censorcensored the former Scottish LabouLabour leader’s debates on ppol it ics with other contecontestants. In her f irst in- depth inteinterview since leaving camcamp, Shappi revealed its secrsecrets and told how: PProducers didn’t show a debdebate between Kezia and StaStanley Johnson about imimmigration. Shappi was given sesecret vegan food parcels afteraf meat made her sick. Amir is llike a “little boy” when it comes to mamaturity levels. Jamie and RRebekah are eyeing up “the finish line” and are desperate to win. Shappi said: “It feels like I have been on another planet. It feels like I have been abducted by aliens and put in this strange surreal planet and now I am in a slightly stranger planet, a plush Versace hotel. The contrast couldn’t be bigger. “I’m grateful for the experience but, really and truly, for me it was agony in some parts. All my clothes were really wet and damp. “Stanley had accidentally swapped towels so I think I had Stanley’s towel. All the towels were soaking – nothing dried. “The trials were getting weirder and more complicated and I think there were other personalities in there who
really, really wanted to win this. What was hard was even down to your clothing – not being given the stuff that makes you, you.
“Without my family and my job, without stand-up comedy, I don’t feel myself. I feel myself when I am on a stage with a microphone.”
Shappi also revealed there had been political chat in camp with Boris Johnson’s dad Stanley and Kezia, only for their talks not to be broadcast.
The Labour MSP has come under fire for not using the show to speak about politics to a younger, wider audience – one of the reasons she gave for controversially leaving her Lothian constituency and appearing on the show.
Shappi said: “Toff got me to declare I was going to join the Conservative Party when I got out at some point.
“Toff and I had quite a laugh about how different we are politically.
“Stanley did start talking about high population and immigration at one point and Kez was talking to him about it.
“But apart from Stanley, Kezia, Toff and myself, everybody steered well clear of any controversy.
“It almost seemed like no one wanted to nail their colours to the mast because they wanted to keep their political views private.
“And if we talked about it, they put up an iron curtain. I get that it’s I’m A Celebrity, not Question Time.”
Shappi also told how she came close to quitting and Iain Lee was also struggling to cope – and could still walk if he is not voted out soon.
She added: “The worst thing that happened to me was I thought, ‘Come on, it’s not a religion.’ So I had meat and was sick five times in one hour.
“It was horrible and then, after that, I asked for vegan food and they were very accommodating.
“Two nights before I was voted off, I came close to walking. We all miss our kids and I was talking to Becky about when you miss your kids, you have to ride the wave and be strong.
“But two nights before I left, I sank under the wave and I lay in my hammock and sobbed like a baby.
“Then I got out of my bed and cried and cried. That was the point where I thought, ‘ I won’t be upset if I’m voted out first. Iain was probably disappointed not to go. I’d say he’d quite like to step out now and get back to the real world.
“Everyone else is gunning to get to the end.”
Shappi lost 8lb during her two weeks in the jungle.
Others who have shed lots of weight include Jamie Lomas and Amir Khan, who has split viewers.
Shappi said: “Toff and I nearly died laughing when Amir ran over about four days into the jungle saying, ‘Guys, guys, you know in the Bush Telegraph, they’re recording what we’re saying.’
“I rest my case. He was the opposite of Crocodile Dundee.
“I think Amir lives in a world where he’s so utterly focused on his boxing but what was really special was when you watched him in the zone when he was training. “When he’s boxing or talking about doing boxing, he’s sharp as a tack. Everywhere else, he’s a little boy.” Shappi also revealed who she thinks will make it to the final in a week’s time. She added: “I’ll tell you who wants to win – Jamie and Becky.
“They haven’t said outright they want to win but Jamie doesn’t mess around.
“You see in the trials how tenacious he is, whereas I was quite happy to bumble around.
“You can tell by the way people are in the trials – who wants to see it through to the end and who are there for a lovely experience.
“With Becky, she’s an iron fist in a velvet glove. Becky is very strong and very focused and, again, she doesn’t do things by halves. If she is playing a game, she wants to win.
“The people I fell in love with were Jennie, Toff and Stanley. They’re absolutely themselves and funny.
“I’d like to see one of them win but, when asked, I would say Jamie and Becky because they are the most focused on the finishing line.”
Shappi now plans to write a new stand-up comedy set for a January tour, which will include gags about her I’m A Celebrity experience.
She is enjoying time with her two children this weekend.
She added: “Missing my kids was brutal. I thought I could be strong. But I’m a single mum and the three of us live together so it was indescribably hard.
“It is amazing to be with them again and I noticed they have grown. I felt like I could breathe again.
“My calm little boy, as ever, was containing his emotions and he didn’t tell me until all the cameras were gone, ‘Mummy, I missed you so much’. He held it together. And my daughter was just glued to me.”