Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine, 33, has revealed the reason she decided to sign up for I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here. The soap star, who plays Fiz Brown in the ITV soap, revealed that her late father - who passed away this year – was one of the factors that convinced her to enter the jungle.
In a heartfelt Instagram post - which she wrote just before leaving for Australia, she said: "As you may know I lost my wonderful, wise, funny, kind, guiding light of a Dad earlier this year. He always encouraged me to do things I didn’t know I could do. Try things that were difficult, do stuff that scared me, climb walls I might fall from. So when this opportunity came up, I had to say yes. I know that my dad would have said 'Yeah, go for it Jennie Wren. You can do it."
STORY: I'm A Celebrity: First official photos of 2017 line-up released
Jennie McAlpine wrote an emotional tribute to her family ahead of joining I'm A Celebrity
Jennie continued that she also hoped to make her young son Albert, two, and husband Chris proud. She wrote: "I'm going to miss home and my cherished family more than I can put into words, but here's hoping it's going to make my little boy and his daddy smile to see mummy being perhaps a little bit brave. Wish me luck!"
The message, which was posted by Chris – who is currently taking charge of his wife's Instagram account while she participates in the hit ITV show – was met with support from Jennie's fans and Coronation Street co-stars. Helen Flanagan, who plays Rosie Webster in the ITV soap, wrote: "Love Jennie will be cheering her on," while former Corrie actress Suranne Jones, added: "Beautifully said."
STORY: See how you can vote on I'm A Celebrity before it even begins!
The post was shared by Jennie's husband Chris on her Instagram account
Jennie's son Albert is sure to be on her mind throughout the competition, especially as she will be missing his third birthday while in the jungle. The soap star previously teased that it will be different for viewers to watch her as Jennie and not Fiz, and added that her dream camper would be Nadiya Hussain from the Great British Bake Off. She said: "It would be brilliant if she could make us some cakes. But not Alan Halsall (Tyrone from Coronation Street) as he is the practical joker on the Corrie set."