Model and television personality Kelly Brook is preparing for her most challenging TV appearance yet as she enters the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! jungle this Sunday. However, her jungle adventure comes with potential for significant awkwardness, as it's been revealed she holds a long-standing grudge against the show's legendary presenters, Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly.
The Source of the Decade-Long Grudge
The roots of this entertainment industry feud stretch back more than fifteen years to 2009. Brook believes that Ant and Dec were instrumental in her dismissal from Britain's Got Talent after just six days as a judge. While the precise details remain unclear, insiders suggest the model has never forgotten the experience.
A source told The Daily Mail: "Kelly might be all smiles, but underneath she is a tough, tough woman who doesn't take well to being crossed. She doesn't forget." The source added that Brook perceived the presenters as looking down on her background, stating, "She thinks Ant and Dec sneered at her for being a Page 3 girl, they didn't think she had any talent."
Ant and Dec's Version of Events
The presenting duo have addressed the controversy in the past, attempting to clear the air in their 2010 autobiography, Ooh! What A Lovely Pair. Dec Donnelly explained the confusion around her hiring, noting that the show typically featured three judges—Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, and Piers Morgan—and her addition as a fourth created format complications.
Dec recounted an awkward first meeting, revealing he tried to reassure a nervous Brook. "I told her it was going to be great fun and to just relax," he wrote. "She nodded, then looked at me and said, 'And what do you do on the show?'" The moment was compounded when Simon Cowell intervened, asking if she had seen the programme, to which Brook reportedly replied, "Yeah... well, bits."
Despite being let go to revert to three judges, the format later permanently expanded to four, adding to the perception that her dismissal was personal.
Career Impact and Jungle Reunion
For Kelly Brook, the fallout was more than just a brief career setback. She previously stated that the sacking had a profound impact on her future opportunities in British television. "There was nothing I could do in this country after Britain's Got Talent," Brook claimed. "The people at ITV were telling me that I had upset Ant and Dec and that was it. I would love to have stayed on the show."
This weekend marks the first time Brook will come face-to-face with Ant and Dec since the 2009 incident. Described as a "down-to-earth working-class girl done good," Brook reportedly "hates snobby behaviour" and has been telling journalists she "can't wait to see them again," a comment that hints at potential confrontational jungle television.
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! begins this Sunday night at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
