Seann Walsh Breaks Silence After I'm A Celeb Exit and Why He Preferred All Stars
Seann Walsh has opened up about his experience on I'm A Celebrity, following his early eviction from the show. The comedian was the first campmate to be voted out, a decision made by Harry Redknapp, and he shared his thoughts in a candid exit interview.
Eviction and Surreal Experience
Walsh described his eviction as a "completely surreal experience," joking that he "just got dropped by Harry Redknapp." He did not comment on the moment he was mistakenly called 'Stewart' instead of Seann during the eviction, with hosts Ant and Dec not pressing him on the matter. Despite the early exit, Walsh expressed no hard feelings towards Redknapp, admitting he knew it was coming.
"I think as soon as Harry mentioned someone had to go, I was basically packing my bags," Walsh said. "I knew it was going to be me, because I knew who I was up against, including a former Queen of The Jungle and a former world champion."
Mixed Emotions and Family Reunion
After returning to the hotel, the 40-year-old comedian shared his mixed emotions. "It's a combination of emotions. I'm thrilled to be able to see my family, because I've missed my kids a lot," he explained. "At the same time, I'm sad they won't be able to see me in the jungle for longer and doing more trials."
Admiration for Harry Redknapp
As a Queens Park Rangers fan, Walsh found it delightful to spend time with Redknapp, who once managed his favourite team. He praised Redknapp as an "incredible, natural storyteller" with decades of experience in football. "He's a raconteur. As a QPR fan, the real reason I was happy he chose me is because it meant I could pick his brains with football stories. He managed my favourite QPR player ever," Walsh added.
Challenges of Camp Life
Walsh highlighted the challenges of camp life, particularly the cramped conditions. "The only problem was, of course, that they split the camp into two. It was like living in a London houseshare, there wasn't any room to breathe," he said. "You've got noisy neighbours on your hands with Jimmy Bullard, Adam Thomas, Craig Charles, and Gemma Collins."
He also described the "Savannah Scrub" location as "an absolute hellhole," noting issues with the facilities. "The toilet was facing the shower. Honestly, I think the three most useless people to be left together in Savannah Scrub were Adam, myself, and Bev," Walsh joked. "You couldn't have hoped for a more useless three, to the point where we couldn't see any kind of door for the long drop, so we assumed there wasn't one!"
Preference for All Stars Version
When asked if his second jungle experience was better, Walsh revealed he preferred coming fifth in the All Stars version. "I preferred coming fifth last time. Doing I'm A Celebrity... the first time, my Mrs said to me, 'You've got to do this, life's an adventure. You'll be able to tell the kids,'" he recalled. "Most people don't get to do that with their lives, it's an extraordinary thing. For it to come around a second time is unbelievable."
He noted that the trials were harder and scarier this time, which increased anxiety in the camp. "It felt like it was turned up to eleven, so that just put more anxiety into the camp," Walsh said. "The pleasure for me doing the jungle was the extraordinary people you get to live with. I don't think I'll ever forget that."
Life Lessons Learned
Reflecting on his time in the jungle, Walsh shared the biggest lesson he learned. "I'd really like to use this to spend less time on my phone when I'm home. It's tough. You learn out there that you don't need it," he concluded.
I'm A Celebrity... South Africa airs weekdays at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
