Entertainment
I’m A Celebrity 2021: David Ginola claims he’s never watched the show and has no clue what the trials are like
Former footbal star David Ginola is going in blind to I’m A Celebrity, having never watched the show before (Credits: PA)
The full line-up for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2021 has been revealed and former Premier League footballer David Ginola is heading into the castle.
But he doesn’t quite know what to expect.
The sporting star turned pundit is currently in quarantine ahead of the new series, which is again set in North Wales rather than Australia due to the pandemic, and he is raring to get going.
But as for what exactly he’s getting himself into… well, he doesn’t really know.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk and other press, David admitted he is an I’m A Celebrity ‘virgin’ and doesn’t know much about the show despite it being so popular.
This, he says, makes it more of a ‘challenge’.
The 54-year-old, who has previously played for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspurs and Aston Villa, says he hasn’t asked for any advice as he wants to ‘discover the programme for myself’.
The former Newcastle United star can’t wait to get going and settle into the castle (Picture: Getty)
This includes the infamous Bushtucker trials, where contestants could be showered with live bugs, have to stick their heads into boxes of rats, or eat something downright disgusting.
When asked if there were any particular challenges he wants to avoid, the Frenchman replied: ‘I don’t know much about the show, I don’t know much about the trials!
‘I think right now I’m not scared about anything’, he said but admitted by the time he comes face to face with a trial he might be ‘in a different mood’.
As for the delectable cuisines that could be on offer during the Bushtucker trials, which have in the past included cockroach milkshakes, fish eyes and crocodile penis, David laughed: ‘You know what, I have a little bit of weight to lose!’
He added that he would be feasting on Christmas dinner as soon as the show ended, and so planned to treat the trials ‘like going into a diet’.
David will be swapping suits for more suitable outdoor gear as he enters the castle in North Wales for the eagerly-anticipated series (Picture: Getty)
Despite his career with Newcastle United, David isn’t expecting any special treatment from football-mad Ant and Dec, in part because he doesn’t want to be badly surprised when he’s treated the same as everyone else.
‘I don’t expect anything,’ he said. ‘I don’t expect anything good… I don’t want to be surprised in a bad way so I don’t expect any favours, I don’t expect anything like that.
‘I’ll be treated like anyone else, and I’m sure everyone will be happy in the camp.
‘That’s my only duty, I guess, as a former football player, to make sure the bonding will be amazing and everyone will enjoy the experience.’
He added that he will have ‘no problem’ with the cold weather in North Wales, as when he played with Newcastle United they were certainly ‘not training in warm sunshine every day’.
When asked if he thought there might be anything about him that would surprise viewers watching the show, he replied that he would just ‘be myself’, but being so far out of his comfort zone, how he acts ‘will be a surprise to me as well!’.
‘People might be surprised in a good way, people might be surprised in a bad way, I don’t know! But I will try to be myself as much as possible’.
David’s time on the show will be eagerly watched by fans, friends and family, including his long-term girlfriend Maeva Denat (Picture: Getty Images)
David was extremely diplomatic when asked about how he would feel to win the show, saying winning ‘is not my priority right now’, rather he is more excited to settle in to life in the castle with his campmate.
‘Winning would be the ice on the cake, the cherry on the cake,’ he said, ‘But I don’t really think about it.’
Sticking with the diplomacy, the popular footballer said there would be no single ‘nightmare camp mate’ scenario, even rival team defenders who gave him tough time during his career as a midfielder.
‘I would love to have them all on board,’ he said. ‘I don’t have any problem with that at all.’
The 2021 I’m A Celebrity line up has been revealed (Credits: PA)
While David doesn’t know it yet, his fellow camp mates include Louise Minchin, Richard Madeley and Dame Arlene Phillips, as well as Olympic gold medallist diver Matty Lee, Radio 1Xtra DJ Snoochie Shy, chart-topping music producer Naughty Boy and Paralympic gold medal athlete, Kadeena Cox.
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Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge and Emmerdale actor Danny Miller are also signed up.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! starts on Sunday November 21 at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
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