Victoria's Secret model Leomie Anderson has revealed the emotional reason behind her decision to appear on this year's series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! The 33-year-old lost her father to cancer on Christmas Day in 2022 and has said he was a devoted fan of the ITV programme, along with her uncle, who has also died.
A tribute to her father and uncle
Anderson is set to enter the Australian jungle next week alongside 10 other famous faces, including Chloe Burrows, Joanna Page, Jack Skipper, Ricky Wilson, Claire Sweeney, Ade Adepitan, Mariella Frostrup, AJ Odudu, Wayne Rooney and Sharky. The group will face their fears and take part in daunting challenges, with Anderson explaining she is proud to be taking part in memory of her father and uncle.
Speaking to the Mirror, she said both men were devoted fans of the programme and that she now wishes to make them proud by becoming a campmate. She said: "This show was one of my dad's and uncle's favourite shows to watch. So when the opportunity arose, I was like, okay, let me try and do it this year. Neither of them are here anymore. So it's emotional, but I'm very very proud that I've been able to do it this year, and do it in their memory."
Raising awareness of cancer
Anderson hopes to use her time on the show to raise awareness of the disease, believing that her father's hesitance to visit doctors meant his illness was diagnosed too late, reports the Daily Star. She stressed that she wants people to encourage their parents to seek medical attention when any symptoms emerge, no matter how minor.
She added: "Because my dad was the type who didn't really want to go to the doctors and stuff like that, and I feel like that was one of the reasons why his cancer was discovered so late."
Anderson revealed her dad, who was supportive of her career, knew little about the industry she worked in but was familiar with I'm A Celeb "through and through". Wanting to discuss her father's death with her campmates while on the show, she said: "It's something that, even though it's very emotional for me to talk about, I hope that I do get the opportunity to speak about it because I know it will resonate with a lot of people."
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! airs Monday November 16 on ITV at 9pm.
