Ten years ago, Scarlett Moffatt was working in an office when her manager spotted a rumour that she was in the line-up for I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 'He said, "What's all this about?" And I was like, "Well, obviously. It's not true because I'm here,"' she recalls to Metro. A few weeks later, she was in the jungle with Carol Vorderman, Larry Lamb and former England star Wayne Bridge.
From Office to Jungle Queen
Moffatt went on to win the show, left Gogglebox, and became a regular television fixture, largely thanks to Ant and Dec, who made sure she was front and centre of Saturday Night Takeaway. She now boasts 2.5 million followers on Instagram alone.
Days after the I'm A Celebrity line-up was first leaked, Moffatt confirmed she has been coaching one campmate: Love Island and Kiss FM DJ Chloe Burrows, whom she is tipping as her dark horse of the series after they were locked together in a pitch-black bunker for eight days as part of Channel 4's reality show Scared of the Dark back in 2023.
Advice for Chloe Burrows
'I've lived with her for a week and she's so funny,' says Moffatt. 'I've said to her, if you are going in just please be yourself. Don't get inferior, just be you because she's so unapologetically herself.'
Moffatt added: 'In the jungle it can be intimidating, especially if people like Wayne Rooney who's a megastar, he's worldwide known, and it's so easy to fall into that trap of being like, "Oh, maybe can't say anything" but you've just got to push egos out of the way and just go, "We're all just living together and having this really weird experience."'
'But I definitely think Chloe could be a one to watch,' she said. 'She's just she's a lovely person, she would deserve the trajectory that it allows. I mean, she's already smashing it, she's got brand deals coming out of her ass, but yeah, I can only imagine where she sort goes from here. I really hope she does well.'
Leigh Francis: The Real Person
One name on the leaked line-up yet to be confirmed is Leigh Francis, the comic behind characters Avid Merrion and Keith Lemon, whose career slowed after the cancellation of Celebrity Juice. He is looking almost certain to be this year's late entry.
Moffatt, a regular on Celebrity Juice, is excited for the public to meet the real Francis. 'I was really lucky that I went to a few parties with him and he is the loveliest man,' she says. 'He's so interesting, he loves all of the sci-fi, weird and wonderful stuff, and he makes all of his papier-mâché puppets.'
'I hope we get that side of him as well because he's really quirky and interesting. He's got a million stories. I remember him telling us about how him and his wife met, they've been together since they were teens, and they were sleeping on a mate's floor in London. He's really made himself; he used to create sketch videos and send them to channels to try and get seen. I hope that we see all of that, he's such a fascinating character.'
Moffatt added: 'His story of how he got into telly is so different to how you normally hear of people getting into telly so I think he will definitely do well.'
Next Steps for Moffatt
Next year, Moffatt is publishing her first children's book, and this Christmas she has teamed up with Simply Be to launch their new Christmas edit. 'I've been battling with my body for so long but now I'm at the ripe old age of 36, I've realised that actually everybody's body deserves to feel fabulous,' she says.
'Simply Be has been on my vision board for ages, and I was so lucky that this year I got to do a summer edit with them because honestly, I kept tagging them all the time on social media like, "I'm here!"'
'Christmas is my most favourite time of the year. I've realised I used to love a little black dress and a little black outfit for going out, but I think I just was always wearing black all the time, and I realised that actually it's a good dopamine hit having colour.'
'Whatever you do, and whether you're taking the kids to see Santa or you're hosting in the house, I've tried to make something for everyone. There's lovely stuff for going out-out, but a lot of it you can feel glam at home. Also, I can't stress enough, everything's elasticated. I am not willing to compromise on how many sausage rolls I am eating because I'm being imprinted in my jeans – everything needs to have stretch!'
I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2026 launches on Monday November 16 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
