Kate’s lost 2 stone and packed her itsy-bitsiest bikini so she can ‘do a Myleene’
EVER since Myleene Klass so memorably stripped down to her white bikini, waterfall showers have become just as crucial to I’m A Celebrity’s success as the stomach-churning Bushtucker Trials.
With fit young stars revealing their toned physiques each year, it is no place for the body-conscious. But Kate Garraway is all set to join the parade of contestants baring their flesh this year, after going to great lengths to prepare for her jungle stay.
The Good Morning Britain host has shed two stone – and has packed an itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dot bikini to show off her new figure.
But the 52-year-old has also taken more old- fashioned – and more modest – costumes to Australia just in case she doesn’t feel racy enough for the skimpy design.
Either way, the reality show will be the first time viewers get sight of Miss Garraway’s slimmed-down new look – achieved after she sacrificed her beloved Saturday-morning ritual of a full English breakfast for poached egg and avocado. Miss Garraway also ditched the supersized chocolate bar that cameramen on the ITV breakfast show gave her to eat on a daily basis, and gave up alcohol for ‘dry January’.
Calorie intake is only half the equation, and the presenter also signed up with a personal trainer and began running, doing squats, yoga – and the trendy hobby of forest bathing, a Japanese ritual that involves immersing yourself in nature and whose devotees include the Duchess of Cambridge.
A friend told The Mail on Sunday: ‘ Kate has t aken t wo t ypes of bikinis, some old-fashioned ones that cover her up quite well, and, at the bottom of her case, a couple of more skimpy ones.
‘She told a neighbour and some friends that they would know how confident she was feeling in the jungle if the racy ones ever saw the light of day – especially the polkadot one. She hasn’t worn a bikini like that for many years now. It would be such a TV moment if she decides to go for it.
‘She looks amazing and she has joked that she could do a Myleene in her skimpy swimwear. She has a great sense of humour and is really proud of what she has achieved in terms of her weight loss.
‘ Missing out on those weekly fry-ups has been a wrench for her but it has paid off.’
Her preparations mean that the showers should hold no fears for Miss Garraway, who is married to former political lobbyist Derek Draper and mother to Darcey, 14, and Bill, nine. But that’s not true of other aspects of the jungle ordeal.
Before she went into the show, she told producers that creepycrawlies and reptiles petrify her – as do heights.
The friend added: ‘Kate doesn’t have one phobia, she has every phobia a camp-mate could have: snakes, insects, rats, the lot.’
Meanwhile, ITV has big plans for fellow camp-mate Caitlyn Jenner if its £500,000 signing proves a hit in the jungle, with executives in talks to sign her up to star in another reality show. Former Olympian Caitlyn, 70, is the world’s most famous transgender woman, thanks in large part to her appearances in the hugely successful US series Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
An ITV insider said: ‘There is a lot of hope that Caitlyn will be ITV’s next big thing. They have been looking for a way to emulate the Kardashian success for years now – and they might have found it.
‘With the amount of money they are paying her, they see her as being someone viewers will want more and more of. There is so much intrigue surrounding her.’