As the nation tunes in for the grand finale of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! 2025, finalists Angryginge, Shona McGarty and Tom Read Wilson will be dreaming of the lucrative career boost that often follows a jungle stint. The ITV behemoth has launched countless celebrities to new heights, securing them book deals, presenting roles and brand endorsements. Yet, for every success story, there is a former campmate who has quietly retreated from the limelight, their time in the Australian bush a distant memory for most viewers.
Tonight's conclusion marks a pivotal moment for the final three, but it also prompts a look back at the contestants who didn't capitalise on their jungle fame. From early series stars to those who actively walked away, here are the I'm A Celeb alumni you've probably forgotten.
From the Catwalk to the Marathon Track
Model and TV hostess Nell McAndrew, now 50, was a formidable contender in the 2002 series, finishing in a respectable fourth place. Known for her work on Man o Man and as a Marilyn Monroe lookalike, she seemed poised for lasting fame. However, McAndrew has since swapped the glare of studio lights for the open road. She has stepped away from showbiz, now channelling her energy into fitness, regularly sharing gym workouts and celebrating achievements like completing the London Marathon.
Another face from the early 2000s is designer Linda Barker, 64, who came third in the show's second series. The Changing Rooms star was a household name but has consciously shunned the celebrity circuit. She told the Belfast Telegraph she doesn't attend premieres or parties, focusing instead on her Linda Barker Home furnishings brand and an online interiors business run by her husband.
Reality TV Fame That Faded
In 2004, Fran Cosgrave, then-husband of Atomic Kitten's Natasha Hamilton, finished third. He later appeared on Love Island but found the reality TV world unfulfilling. The 47-year-old moved into music production and, speaking on RTE 2FM in 2023, reflected that fame "is gone as quick as it comes." By 2009, he was "finished with the whole celebrity thing."
Dani Behr, the 55-year-old presenter from The Big Breakfast and The Word, attempted a career revival by entering the jungle in 2008. Voted out before the final, her plan didn't materialise. Behr has now left the UK entertainment industry entirely, relocating to Los Angeles where she works in high-end real estate.
Controversy and Career Changes
Perhaps the most notable political figure to emerge from the jungle was Carol Thatcher, daughter of the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2005, she initially secured a role on The One Show. However, her TV career abruptly ended after she used a racial slur to describe tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Despite defending her words as "colloquial" shorthand, her on-screen work dried up. Reports suggest she now undertakes after-dinner speaking engagements.
In a surprising pivot to local politics, singer David Van Day, 69, traded showbiz for a council seat. After reaching the semi-finals in 2008, the Dollar star stood as a Conservative candidate in Thurrock in 2018. He initially lost but won a subsequent by-election in 2019, only to lose the seat to Labour in the 2022 local elections.
EastEnders actor Marc Bannerman, 52, entered the jungle in 2007 and later spoke openly about his depression after being axed from the soap, admitting he "turned to the bottle." Now focused on fatherhood, he told Steph's Packed Lunch in 2022, "I don't know what I was doing before I was a dad," though he has taken occasional acting roles, including in Netflix's The Witcher.
As a new King or Queen of the Jungle is crowned tonight, their future in the public eye awaits. For these seven former contestants, however, the jungle adventure was merely a chapter, not the defining title of their lives.
