Olivia Attwood 'heartbroken' to be leaving I'm A Celebrity on medical grounds
Love Island star Olivia Attwood has left I'm a Celeb due to medical reasons, meanwhile Matt Hancock is poised to appear on the show, ITV News' Rishi Davda reports
Olivia Attwood says she is "heartbroken" to be leaving I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 24 hours after the show got underway in Australia.
The Love Island star withdrew earlier today after an examination by the jungle's medical team showed it was "not safe" for her to return to the camp.
A post on Attwood's Instagram story said: "To say Olivia is heartbroken would be an understatement.
"She dreamed of doing 'I'm a Celeb' for years, and was absolutely loving every second of the show and throwing herself into jungle life feet first (just as we knew she would).
"However, for reasons beyond her control her journey has been cut short.
"Your support and kind words have meant the absolute world to her, now as much as it always has.
"You will hear the truth from Olivia in due course and she will be back on your screens in the New Year."
The post teased MP and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock's entrance to the I'm a Celeb jungle.Attwood's post said: "Ps. Who’s going to roast Matt Hancock now??"
A statement a spokesman for the show said: "As a precautionary measure Olivia needed to leave the jungle to undergo some medical checks.
"Unfortunately, the medical team has advised it is not safe for Olivia to return to camp as there needs to be further investigation.
"She has been absolutely brilliant and she'll be very much missed on the show."
Hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly addressed Attwood's exit at the start of Monday's episode.
Dec said: "You may have seen that unfortunately, Olivia Attwood has left the jungle for medical reasons and sadly won’t be returning."
Ant then said: "We’re very sad to see her go, but we wish her well."
The show returned for 2022 on Sunday night with a new batch of ten celebrities entering the Australian jungle for the first time since 2019.
For the past two years I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! was shot at Gwrych Castle in North Wales, due to travel restrictions brought about by the Covid pandemic.
Love Island star Attwood was among the celebrities revealed as the public’s vote to become Jungle VIPs, but this was not as luxurious as it first appeared as they later discovered this meant "Very Isolated People".
Attwood was allowed to choose one person to join her for a meal and she picked radio DJ Chris Moyles.
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The reality TV star said: "I am equal parts flattered and unnerved the public voted for me to be a VIP… I’m guessing they know more of what that entails than I do."
Becoming a Jungle VIP meant they spent their first night marooned on an island, alongside TV presenter and property expert Scarlette Douglas and Culture Club star Boy George, before facing the first trial of the series.
Their challenge saw Attwood inserting her hand into small wall openings filled with worms, in a bid to unscrew pipe fittings inside and stop the flow of water in chambers holding Boy George and Moyles.
Attwood shot to fame in 2017 on the hit dating show Love Island, and ahead of the new series said she was looking forward to debunking the misconception that she’s “high maintenance” and cannot cope without makeup.
In Monday's episode the contestants got to grips with sleeping in the jungle as campmates snoring and unexpected snakes kept them awake.
Some of the celebrities struggled to adjust to being away from family members and tasting jungle food.
ITV News' Charlene White said: “I would say that my first night’s sleep in the jungle wasn’t great.
“I’m not used to sleeping outdoors, it’s a new environment,” she said.
“I think I was over-emotional, I was missing the kids, it just got released through tears really and I just couldn’t stop crying.”
Meanwhile, Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner made fun of Mike Tindall’s snoring in camp.
“I thought the main thing I was going to have to be looking out for was the spiders, the snakes or the insects… turns out it was actually Mike,” he said.
“We’ve got a classic case of a [mimics loud snoring].”
Some campmates were also surprised when a snake slithered through the camp in the middle of the night.
Comedian Babatunde Aleshe said: “If I had seen that snake, everybody in Australia would have heard about it.”
Ant and Dec confirmed there will be two extra arrivals to the camp shortly, including former health secretary Matt Hancock.
The Conservative MP for West Suffolk is expected to appear in the coming days, as the presenters said they will be “rolling out the welcome 'mat' for them soon”.
Speaking to broadcasters at Cop27 in Egypt, Rishi Sunak repeated his criticism of the former health secretary for joining the show.
Rounding off the episode, Ant and Dec revealed the public had voted for comedian Babatunde Aléshé to face the Horrifying Heights Bushtucker Trial.
Sunday night's first episode of the series brought in an average audience of 9.1 million, according to ratings from ITV.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.