Emmerdale legend Dominic Brunt has shared his heartfelt reaction to watching his on-screen wife Lisa Riley's emotional journey on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, revealing he was one of only two people who knew about her jungle plans months before the show began.
The Emotional Jungle Moment That Struck a Chord
Speaking exclusively about the series' most tender moment so far, Dominic highlighted the powerful scene where Lisa comforted Jack Osbourne as he opened up about the death of his father, music legend Ozzy Osbourne. The emotional exchange saw Lisa also sharing her own grief about losing her beloved mother Cath to cancer in 2012.
"I thought the first time when she sat with Jack was a real look into the real Lisa," Dominic revealed. "She spots things that other people don't and is really empathetic. As soon as she sat down with him, I thought, 'oh, this is really going to be good.'"
He added that Lisa's profound loss continues to affect her deeply, saying: "I don't think Lisa will ever get used to the loss of her mum."
The Secret That Bound Them Closer
In a surprising revelation, Dominic explained that Lisa had confided in him about her jungle plans several months before the official lineup was announced. The soap star, who plays Paddy Kirk opposite Lisa's Mandy Dingle, was the only person besides her partner to know about her participation.
"I thought, right, if you're telling me, I'm not even going to tell my wife," Dominic admitted. "I don't keep any secrets from my wife, so it was very strange. But it was great. It was really exciting as well."
He recalled how Lisa first tested the waters during a phone call from the Emmerdale set. "She said that she'd been asked to do the jungle, and she wasn't sure, what did I think? And I was going, you'd be brilliant. You should do it. And then later she said, I'm actually doing it."
Beyond the Mandy Dingle Persona
Despite Lisa's pre-jungle warning that she might "go full Mandy Dingle" if tired and grouchy, Dominic insists viewers are seeing the real Lisa Riley - a woman far removed from her occasionally fiery soap character.
"I've very rarely seen that side of her, I have to say," he explained. "She's not a moody person. She's a very upbeat person, and I think even when she's tired, that's the only time that you'll really see her quite quiet."
The actor, who has played Paddy since 1997 and first married Mandy on screen in 1999 before their characters reunited in a 2024 wedding storyline, described Lisa as a "force of nature" who has gradually settled into jungle life.
"I think she's getting better and better and better," he said. "She's a very, very honest person, and she's always herself, and she wears her heart on her sleeve. And I could see she wasn't pretending to be anybody else but herself."
Dominic hopes audiences will see the thoughtful woman he's worked with for nearly three decades. "She's a very genuine soul who listens more than she talks, and she cares for people. She's incredibly funny, and she's selfless and kind. She's one of the kindest people I've ever met."
As for whether he'd ever follow her into the jungle, Dominic was unequivocal: "I wouldn't really do anything like that." He described himself as someone who would "sit in the corner very quietly" and likely get "voted off first."
When asked about Lisa's chances of becoming Queen of the Jungle, he remained optimistic: "Oh, you never know. It does feel like Aitch and Angry Ginge are absolutely to the fore, and people love them but you never know. I hope so... I'm voting for her, the whole building is voting for her."
