Gemma Collins, known for her role in The Only Way is Essex (Towie), has quit ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! after just three days in the Australian jungle. The reality star reportedly struggled to cope with conditions on the show, making a scathing remark about her treatment.
Collins, who entered the camp on Sunday alongside fellow contestants including Michael Buerk, Melanie Sykes and former footballer Jimmy Bullard, was heard saying: “People who murder get treated better than this. That’s the truth. Even a murderer gets fed three times a day.”
Her departure follows a series of difficulties, beginning when she and contestants Vicki Michelle and Carl Fogarty were taken by red Ferrari to a luxury villa before being sent to a “jungle jail” by helicopter. Collins suffered a panic attack just before take-off, clambering out and pleading: “Can you stop a minute, please, I’m serious, just stop, I need to get out, seriously I’m going to be sick, I can’t do it, no way.”
Once out of the helicopter, she explained: “I got into the chopper and suddenly felt very scared but thought I can’t show anyone I’m scared, but I cried like a baby and I don’t think I’m going to be able to do this jungle lark.” Upon reaching the camp, she discovered the celebrity slammer was a small area with prison-style bars and no beds.
A spokesman for the show said: “We’re sorry to see Gemma go but respect her decision and wish her well.” Collins, who has appeared in Towie since 2011, was previously eliminated in the first heat of ITV's Splash! earlier this year. The 14th series of I’m a Celebrity launched with over 10 million viewers on Sunday.
