Harry Redknapp has described his experience on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! as being like a 'holiday camp' compared to his childhood. The former football manager, now 79, won the show in 2018 — becoming the oldest contestant at 71 to do so — and later returned for the All Stars series in South Africa, breezing through to the final.
Redknapp attributed his resilience to his no-nonsense upbringing in London's East End. 'We didn't have anything when I was a kid,' he said. 'You used to go hop-picking for six weeks in Kent, with my nan. And let me tell you, hop-picking makes the jungle look like a luxury holiday camp.' He recalled getting up at five in the morning, trudging through deep mud for six shillings a day, and playing on bomb sites left from the war.
The sprightly 79-year-old, a former West Ham player and top football manager, said his tough background made the jungle trials easy. 'When I was five, rationing was on. So, eating raw fish guts in the jungle? Not a bother,' he added.
Redknapp also opened up about his enduring marriage to childhood sweetheart Sandra, whom he met when he was 17. 'I just love her,' he said. 'Sandra's my life. Simple as that.' He noted that his parents and Sandra's parents were also married for life.
Despite his age, Redknapp keeps busy with projects including Soccer Aid and theatre tours. 'I enjoy it. If I didn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it,' he said. 'It keeps me active, keeps me busy.' He also revealed he doesn't drink beer, only the occasional glass of wine, and hasn't been in a pub for 50 years.
Currently, Redknapp is backing a new iD mobile campaign highlighting inclusive roaming abroad. He warned about huge phone bills from using phones on holiday, saying, 'Mine never stops; you get back and you're hit with massive phone bills.'
