Entertainment
I’m A Celebrity 2021: Richard Madeley addresses health concerns after castle exit
Richard Madeley spoke out over his I’m A Celebrity exit (Picture: ITV)
Richard Madeley has addressed concerns over his health after he was forced to quit I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
The TV presenter announced his departure from the ITV series just days after entering Gwrych Castle, leaving fans truly gutted.
However, speaking out over his exit, the 65-year-old insisted that taking part in the tough Bushtucker Trial, Castle Kitchen Nightmares, didn’t have ‘any bearing on things’ – as he ‘felt fine afterwards’.
Penning a first-person piece in the Telegraph, he wrote: ‘I reckon I must have been dehydrated that night (I’m forever not drinking enough water), because I got into my bunk and suddenly felt detached and discombobulated. “Funny turn” really is about the only way of describing it.
‘A nurse checked me over, but given my symptoms were so vague, it was recommended that I leave the camp and have some precautionary tests in hospital. They completed a thorough MOT in about an hour, including a high tech once-over from a consultant, and I was given the all clear by dawn.
‘I felt absolutely fine, but by that point, the penny had dropped. A slightly tearful producer then confirmed my fears: by going to hospital and coming into contact with doctors, nurses, porters and so on, I’d broken the show’s hermetically sealed Covid bubble. There was no way I’d be able to return to the castle.’
Richard announced his exit from I’m A Celeb this week (Picture: ITV)
Richard announced his exit in a devastated statement, and shared that due to the coronavirus guidelines in place, he would not be returning to his place in the camp.
He confessed that he felt ‘completely gutted’ by the news and vowed that he ‘understood’ the reasons behind their decision.
‘So no, contrary to reports, I wasn’t at all unwell apart from foolishly forgetting to stay hydrated, I didn’t pick up a stomach bug from my trial and – despite what some oddballs on Twitter might say – I wasn’t suffering ill-effects from my Covid vaccine,’ he added. ‘In reality, at 65 I feel as fit as a spring chicken.’
Despite the earlier-than-anticipated homecoming, he vowed that he loved the experience, and will be glued to his TV to take in the action from the comfort of home.
His only regret? That he should have guzzled down more water.
Richard’s exit came after all the celebrity contestants were actually removed from the Welsh castle – due to the ongoing storms.
Show bosses confirmed that there would not be any new episodes over the weekend amid technical issues caused by the extreme weather.
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The campmates will have to remain in quarantine to ensure they are Covid-safe until it is deemed safe enough for their return to Gwrych Castle.
It is unclear when new episodes will be back on our screens, with montage shows broadcast in the I’m A Celeb time slot.
ITV bosses released a statement saying: ‘Whilst we get the production base back up and running after suffering technical issues due to the storm, we have removed the celebrities from the castle.’
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