Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley has unveiled a dramatic 20-pound weight loss following her stint on the hit ITV reality show, I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! The 49-year-old star, who was eliminated in a double eviction alongside Jack Osbourne on Friday night, emerged from the Australian jungle looking radiant and noticeably slimmer.
The Jungle Regime: More Than Just Rice and Beans
Speaking exclusively to The Daily Mail after her exit, Riley explained that her transformation wasn't solely down to the show's infamous meagre rations. While she consumed a vegetarian diet of rice, beans, Quorn, tofu, and tempeh, she pinpointed two key factors: strict portion control and an intensely active daily schedule.
"Everyone says, 'Oh, it's beans and rice,'" Lisa stated. "Yes, it is beans and rice, but it's actually what you consume. It's portion control." She elaborated on the non-stop physical demands of camp life, describing the constant trekking to the Telegraph Tree for updates and the exertion of the Bushtucker Trials. "It's the do-ability, the activeness... by the time you've consumed the beans at night, you've probably burned it off," she added.
A Vegetarian's Jungle Menu
While other campmates faced eating eel or crocodile, Riley's diet consisted of meat-free alternatives. "I'm so lucky. I had things like Quorn chicken strips, Quorn mince," she said, though she admitted a newfound aversion to rice and a lesson in cooking tofu properly from fellow camper Martin. Despite moments of hunger, she emphasised she was never starving, and her meals were often padded out with extra rice due to her vegetarian requirements.
Life in Camp: Becoming 'Jungle Mum' and Flirting with Ant
Reflecting on her overall experience, Riley was overwhelmingly positive, calling it "everything I wanted it to be and so much more." She embraced the role of camp matriarch, telling hosts Ant and Dec, "I've not been lucky enough to be a mother in life and if I was the jungle mum, bring it on." She fondly referred to campmates Aitch and Chris Moyles as her "naughty little brothers."
The actress also humorously addressed her on-screen flirtation with presenter Ant McPartlin. "I'm a flirt. I flirt with everybody. That's who I am," she confessed, while reassuring her partner, Al, that he had nothing to worry about. She joked, "Dec would give you a Horlicks and tuck you in. Whereas, Ant? Yeah, he's juicy... Any red-blooded woman would say Ant is juicy."
Lisa Riley's jungle journey has clearly left a lasting mark, resulting in significant weight loss, cherished memories, and a fresh perspective on diet and activity. Her story highlights how the show's gruelling conditions extend far beyond the televised trials, impacting the celebrities' health and wellbeing in unexpected ways.
