Spandau Ballet guitarist Martin Kemp has been eliminated from I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! The 64-year-old musician became the sixth contestant to be voted off the ITV reality show during Thursday night's episode, finally being reunited with his wife Shirlie after 40 years of marriage.
The 'Jungle Ghost' Exits
Kemp's departure comes after a series run where fans and his own son noted his surprisingly low screen time. Roman Kemp, the 32-year-old One Show presenter who finished third in the 2019 series, repeatedly took to social media to joke about his father's minimal presence, dubbing him the 'jungle ghost'.
Roman celebrated his father surviving another day earlier in the week, writing: 'The Ghost of the Jungle lives another day! Well done #TeamKemp!' He later added, 'Imagine we actually got him to go far without ever seeing him! Let's do it.' In a humorous twist, Roman also threatened to start an 'anti-voting campaign' if Martin looked set to beat his own third-place finish.
A Family Affair and Camp Fallout
Martin's exit was undoubtedly sweetened by the presence of his wife, former Pepsi & Shirlie singer Shirlie, 63, who had flown to Australia to support him. Their reunion on the famous jungle bridge provided an emotional end to his stint. Earlier, messages from eliminated campmates had revealed Martin was 'desperate' to see Shirlie again.
The episode also dealt with the ongoing impact of Ruby Wax's sudden departure the previous night. Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, 49, who had formed a close bond with the 72-year-old comedian, broke down in tears upon learning of her exit. Fellow campmate, Twitch streamer AngryGinge, 24, also expressed being 'absolutely gutted', stating Ruby had kept him going with their conversations.
Ruby's exit as a camp leader triggered a significant change for the remaining seven celebrities. They received a laminate informing them the leadership was over, forcing the group to democratically assign chores amongst themselves. Lisa Riley and Martin Kemp were tasked with double duty on washing up and dunny duty.
Egg Challenge Success and Looking Ahead
In a lighter segment, the campmates successfully completed a general knowledge challenge to win breakfast eggs. Starting with 32 golden eggs, they had to place them under answers labelled A, B, or C. After five questions, including correctly identifying the ostrich as the bird that lays the largest egg, they secured 12 fresh eggs for their camp.
With Martin Kemp's elimination complete, the competition narrows further as it heads towards its finale. I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues on Friday at 9pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
