Former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! champion Joe Pasquale has exclusively revealed what he believes is the single biggest mistake contestants make when entering the jungle, drawing from his own winning experience in 2004.
The Luxury Item Blunder Every Celebrity Makes
As a new batch of celebrities, including Kelly Brook, Martin Kemp, and Alex Scott, prepare for their Bushtucker Trials, Pasquale warns that most stars select their luxury item based on sentiment rather than practicality. The 64-year-old comedian insists that choices like body lotion, a hairbrush, or a family photograph are a complete waste of the precious allowance.
'It's all a waste of time!' Pasquale declared, explaining that he sought advice from previous contestants before his own stint. 'I phoned the people I knew who had done it before and asked, 'What shall I do?' and they said, 'Take a chair', so that's what I did.'
Why a Simple Chair Becomes Camp Gold
Pasquale's fold-up camping chair became the most coveted item in camp, with fellow celebrities desperately offering trades for just a few minutes of comfort. 'The only thing you have to sit on is your bunk, which is about six inches off the ground, or a wooden log which is round,' he explained. 'After two hours of sitting on a log your back is killing you.'
He recounted how campmates would beg to use his chair, offering spoonfuls of their meagre rations in exchange. 'I kid you not, every single person during the time I was there would say, 'Joe I'll swap you two spoonfuls of meat for two hours in your chair',' he revealed.
Pasquale's Secret Jungle Comfort Strategy
Beyond the chair, the comedian shared another ingenious trick for maintaining comfort during his jungle stay. While the show's rules only permit two pairs of socks and two pairs of underwear, Pasquale found a clever way around this limitation.
'Because it's so humid out there, nothing dries, so you end up putting on damp pants and damp socks,' he said. His solution? 'I went out there I put on 10 pairs of socks on and had 10 pairs of pants on as well.'
He explained that while producers pat down contestants for contraband, they didn't check how many layers he was wearing underneath. This allowed him to change into clean, dry underwear every other day while his campmates struggled with perpetually damp clothing.
Backing for a Winner and Panto Return
Although his commitment to starring in Aladdin at the Swansea Grand from 6 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 will limit his viewing time, Pasquale already has a firm favourite to win this year's series.
'I think Martin Kemp is going to win it,' he predicted. 'It's always a nice person who wins it and Martin is a really lovely bloke. If I had to take a stab in the dark, I'd go with Martin.'
The comedian is excited to return to what he calls his 'ancestral panto home' in Swansea, having performed his first three pantomimes at the venue. 'I've done Aladdin half a dozen times I reckon,' he said. 'It's got all the digital sets plus all proper comedy and proper music and proper singing and dancing, it's just very exciting.'
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
