ITV bringing back I’m A Celebrity’s ‘golden years’ with this major change

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! seems to have avoided having any politicians in the jungle this year, after immense backlash.

This year, the likes of Coleen Rooney, Tulisa and GK Barry are heading into the jungle in a few days, and we’ve already had a first look at what’s to come.

National treasures Lioness Jill Scott and reigning champion Sam Thompson have all taken part in Ant and Dec’s bushtucker trials in recent years, as have  Matt Hancock and Nigel Farage, who was reportedly the highest-paid campmate ever. 

It’s now been claimed ITV bosses purposely avoided politicians on the programme this year, and are trying to push for a more ‘positive’ series.

A source said: ‘ITV producers are pushing for a more ‘positive’ I’m A Celebrity after reviewing previous series which saw the likes of controversial politicians Matt Hancock and Nigel Farage divide its viewership. 

‘Changing the show’s fundamental format, producers have added two camp leaders to allow contestants to create bonds.’

The insider added to MailOnline: ‘Executive producer Olly Nash said “All we want to see is a year of positive, happy, funny camp.

‘”This year there’s a stronger chance of becoming a stronger family. We want to recreate the golden years of 2018 and Harry Redknapp.”‘

The move to have no more politicians in the jungle comes after other controversial candidates on ITV programmes and even accused abusers.

Earlier this year, following reports that ITV would be changing the I’m A Celebrity line-up after backlash against Hancock and Farage, Women’s Aid urged the broadcaster to do more, asking TV producers to show that domestic abuse ‘won’t be ignored or tolerated’ and stop ‘ignoring a proven track record of violence against women’ by casting certain stars across all programmes. 

Teresa Parker, head of media at Women’s Aid, told Metro:‌ ‘Despite the raise in awareness around domestic abuse, unfortunately we are still seeing reality TV producers casting known abusers on their shows, often ignoring a proven track record of violence against women. 

‘This demonstrates an ongoing lack of understanding of the harmful message this sends out, and the impact on those directly affected by the abuser of seeing them included on a reality show, especially when no acknowledgement of the abuse is made, or remorse shown by the perpetrator. 

‘It is vital that producers, when appointing candidates for any reality TV show, are mindful of the impact that seeing these men can have on women who have survived domestic abuse and how they will feel watching a known abuser on TV on a nightly basis, for the sake of entertainment. 

‘At Women’s Aid we would urge the producers to consider how they approach this, as for many survivors of abuse, the inclusion of men convicted of abuse in entertainment programmes will already be a sign that these crimes are not taken seriously – the entertainment industry has to consider the impact on women of who they give a platform to and derive entertainment from. 

‘Reality TV has a huge reach, often amongst young people, who are developing their understanding of what behaviour is acceptable in relationships. To end domestic abuse we have to show it won’t be ignored or tolerated, and TV producers have a role to play in this as much as anyone else.’ 

Former health secretary Hancock hit headlines during the pandemic, when it was revealed he broke his own rules after CCTV was leaked showing him kissing his former aide Gina Coladangelo when social distancing measures were still in place. 

He resigned and returned to backbenches, only to have his whip suspended when he joined I’m A Celebrity. 

Meanwhile, GB News host Farage sparked outrage before going into the jungle, and even more on the way out, when his use of a ‘homophobic racial slur’ in a private video message was exposed (and he also exposed his bum). 

But it’s not just politicians on I’m A Celebrity that have sparked concern, especially for Women’s Aid, who issued a statement in 2022, posting on X: ‘Imagine experiencing gaslighting by a partner, undergoing therapy, and then watching that person garner sympathy on national TV?’ 

At the time, Seann Walsh was in the jungle, following his cheating scandal that landed him in hot water on Strictly in 2018, when he kissed his married professional partner  while in a relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries. 

After the kiss made headlines in the media, Seann’s now ex-girlfriend Rebecca shared that , ‘he aggressively, and repeatedly, called me a psycho/nuts/mental. As he has done countless times throughout our relationship when I’ve questioned his inappropriate, hurtful behaviour’. 

Women’s Aid’s warning also came after Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith entered Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, despite his history of domestic violence. 

Just a day after giving a charged abuser the biggest platform it had at the time, ITV launched its campaign to combat domestic violence. 

At one point on the show, Goldsmith wept over his actions in the past that turned him into a ‘national villain’. 

Those actions in question included attacking his wife Julie-Ann Goldsmith and knocking her to the ground in a drunken row in 2017. 

The couple had been arguing about his drug use and after he was slapped, Goldsmith then punched his wife with a ‘left hook’ after which she fell to the floor, smacking her head on the pavement, and was unconscious for about 15 seconds before coming to. 

In court, he later admitted one charge of assault by beating and was handed a 12-month community order with 20 rehab sessions to ensure ‘this sort of loutish behaviour does not reoccur.’ 

It had previously been claimed that I’m A Celebrity  bosses were vowing this huge change, with politicians including Edwina Currie and Stanley Johnson having starred on the reality programme in the past too. 

And while Johnson, the father of the former Prime Minister wasn’t a politician when he was in the jungle, he was certainly no less controversial, having allegedly broken his ex-wife Charlotte’s nose. 

While Hancock finished in third and Farage followed in his footsteps in the same position, Ant and Dec were among those calling for ‘a year without any politicians’. 

Dec said last year: ‘I think we do a year without any politicians,’ with Ant replying: ‘Agreed, agreed, agreed.’ 

Meanwhile, comedians London Hughes and Katherine Ryan were outspoken on the dangers of having Farage and Hancock appear on the show. 

Addressing the former Ukip leader’s stint on the show, London said that if she were to be included in a line-up alongside Farage, she’d quit immediately and sue ITV in the process. 

‘If I went on I’m A Celebrity and found out I was on the show with Nigel Farage, I’d leave and sue for racial negligence… but that’s just me,’ she remarked. 

‘I’d say that I’m quite shocked that ITV is platforming a racist as a form of entertainment, but nothing really surprises me anymore,’ she added. 

‘Quick, there’s another hate baiting c**t available,’ Kathy Burke also commented at the time. 

And Katherine told us: ‘I vehemently am against glorifying people like Matt Hancock and Nigel Farage and reducing them to light entertainment fodder when I think that they’re very dangerous people who have directly hurt lots of families.’

Metro has approached ITV for comment.

A version of this article was originally published on May 20, 2024.