Jennie McAlpine
Occupation: Coronation Street StarAge: 33Phobias: Leaving my son, Albert. But I don’t have any others.Biggest misconception you want to dispel in the Jungle: None, but it will be different for viewers seeing me as Jennie and not Fiz.Role in the Camp: Cook.What you will miss the most: My son, my home, kettle, telly and the sofa.Dream Campmate: Nadiya Hussain from Bake Off - it would be brilliant if she could make us some cakes.
Corrie favourite Jennie McAlpine will have already faced her biggest trial by the time she enters the Jungle – leaving behind her son, Albert.
“I had to really think about this because the biggest thing is leaving my little boy,” she explains.
“Even the thought of it beforehand made me shudder. It’s going to be his birthday whilst I am in the Jungle.”
Having lost her dad earlier this year, Jennie says he had a big influence on her choice to accept the I’m A Celebrity… opportunity.
“He always told me to do stuff and he always encouraged me. He kept saying ‘Give it a go to find out if you are good enough or not.’ And so that was a big part of it.
“For me it is about stepping out of my comfort zone and challenging myself.”
Jennie says the tears are pretty much guaranteed: “If I am not crying in the Jungle, you’d better call a doctor!”, but don’t underestimate this tough cookie – she’s prepared to give all the Trials a go, and as a restaurant owner she definitely knows her way around the kitchen.
“I just don’t know what it will be like cooking around a camp fire,” she ponders, adding: “I’m not opposed to eating rice every day. I’m looking at life in the Camp as a bit like going on a retreat for a detox.”
Hmm, we wouldn’t exactly describe the Bushtucker Trials as relaxing, Jennie…