Iain Lee hasn't had an easy time in the I'm A Celebrity jungle – but he is determined to stick it out for a very important reason. The 44-year-old is said to have signed up to the show so he can use his appearance fee to help pay for his mother's medical bills. Iain's mum Linda has severe MS and needs round-the-clock care in her nursing home. A source told the Sun: "His mum's care costs are a great concern for Iain. He'll be able to use a proportion of his jungle fee to stabilise the situation. He's made no secret of the fact he can't wait to get home to his boys, but knowing the money will be a huge help to his mum is stopping him from walking out."
© Photo: RexIain Lee is reportedly taking part in I'm A Celebrity to help cover his mother's medical bills
Last year, Iain opened up about his mum's MS battle. "She can't stand or feed herself, she is completely dependent on people to clean her," he said. "She had £100,000 savings, not because she was rich, because she never spent a penny. She paid off her mortgage she has to pay. So the house sold for £250,000 and so she had £350,000 in her bank, my children's inheritance. Her care is just under £1,500-a-week. Imagine that. So she has burnt through the majority of £350,000 in eight years. You do the maths."
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Iain's sister, meanwhile, appeared on Lorraine on Tuesday to discuss his time so far on I'm A Celeb, and admitted it has made for hard viewing at times. "I've known him all his life and it's really hard to see him," Jo said. "He has his ups and downs but I'm just so proud of him. I just hope he has more fun in there really. I think he comes into his own when he gets to be more playful, that's more him. He has genuine terror of heights, and he did the Space Your Fears challenge and I'm just so proud of him. If he does nothing else in there, he did that, and that's an amazing achievement for him."
© Photo: ITVIain's sister Jo appeared on Lorraine on Tuesday morning
Asked about his mental health struggles, which Iain has spoken openly about while in the jungle, Jo continued: "I think lots of people at home will be able to identify with that. I think it's really healthy to talk about these things and get them out there. But also I don't want him to be defined by just that, because there's so much more to him than that."
Jo also spoke about 'Strawberry-gate' and the backlash Iain has received from his fellow campmates. "Well one of the things that Iain likes to live his life by and he says often, is he would rather choose discomfort over resentment," she said. "That means rather than carry round a secret or a feeling that makes you feel bad, just get it out there and be honest and face up to it. It's not something that comes easy to him, but he's done really, really well."
