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Pay disputes and no kitten heels... it's tough in the 'I'm A Celeb' camp


November 12, 2008
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They haven't even set foot in the jungle and this year's I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here contestants are already feeling the pressure. As she touched down in Australia with her rivals for the survival crown, TV veteran Esther Rantzen confessed her phobias include snakes, spiders, cold water and outdoor lavatories. Sixty-eight-year-old Esther also expressed fears about living without kitten heels and being voted off in the early stages. "I have to face the worst - the result might by abject humiliation, the end of a career," she admitted. The competition includes ex-Star Trek star George Takei, 71, and tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who is determined to win despite never having watched the show. Her mantra for success is simple: "As Billie Jean King says: 'Champions adjust'."

While Martina is receiving £30,000 for her appearance others, such as Nicola McLean, who describes herself as a "WAG, TV star and Page 3 girl" is getting just £7,500 - a pay discrepancy which has been a source of grumbles among contestants. Still Nicola, the girlfriend of a Peterborough United footballer, hopes winning the show will boost her profile. And she posed happily in the arrivals hall of Brisbane airport. "I'm going to love being on camera. I'm a natural show-off," she admits. Some competition in the glamour stakes will come from British former presenter Dani Behr, who has been living Down Under with her Australian husband for the past year. She was pictured wearing three different bikinis during the space of 48 hours this week.

Photo: © Alphapress.com
Immaculately turned out - but for how much longer? TV presenter Esther Rantzen was not looking forward to going without her makeup and high heeled shoes as she arrived in Oz to take part in the jungle reality contest Photo: © Rexy
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Former Star Trek pilot George Takei looked upbeat as he touched down for his jungle adventure, although behind the scenes there are concerns about differences in fees received by the celebrities for their appearances. The actor will get only half of Esther's £40,000 pay packet Photo: © Rex