After weeks of speculation it has finally been confirmed that Noel Edmonds is entering the jungle. The Deal or No Deal presenter is set to join the I'm a Celebrity line-up later this week alongside the original ten campmates: Emily Atack, Harry Redknapp, Fleur East, Sair Khan, Rita Simons, Nick Knowles, James McVey, Anne Hegerty, John Barrowman and Malique Thompson-Dwyer.
A new photo shows Noel in jungle gear, posing against the iconic leafy backdrop in a khaki shirt, red trousers and a red gilet. He was previously spotted at the Palazzo Versace Gold Coast in Australia, taking a spin in a red car, before he goes back to basics in the jungle. Speaking about entering the jungle, he said: "After everything I have done with Gotchas and gunging, I am well aware they are going to put me through absolute hell and I deserve it! I think the British public will enjoy seeing me finally getting my comeuppance! I just know they are going to really give me a hard time."
Noel is preparing to enter the jungle
It was previously reported that there would be two latecomers in the jungle, but it appears that Noel is the final contestant for this year's show. He is allegedly being paid a staggering £600,000, making him one of the show's biggest signings. The contestant is keen to be crowned King of the jungle, explaining: "I am going to win because I promise the British public if they vote for me, I will retire from television and I will never appear again. There's a deal that I am striking with the great British public who have supported me over the years - they make me 'King of the Jungle' and I will retire and never appear again!"
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Noel famously clashed with I'm a Celebrity co-host Declan Donnelly when he suggested that Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway "plundered" his show, House Party. Speaking in an interview with Celebrity Radio back in 2015, Noel explained: "They've plundered the House Party archive and created Takeaway."
However, the star revealed that he took the news as a "compliment", adding: "I don't have a problem with that... Their executive producer told me that the first thing they did when they were setting up the show was to get out the tapes of Noel's House Party. We had a laugh about it. I also like the fact that Ant and Dec so clearly love their job and do it so professionally."
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The pair have joked about the situation before when Noel appeared in a sketch for Saturday Night Takeaway, where Ant and Dec attempt to find out why celebrities who have been awarded OBEs are going missing. It's then revealed that Noel is behind the scheme, and tells the pair: "I've been in this business 50 years. On Saturday nights I used to get 17 million viewers, and I've never been on the honours list… then one day I come home, turn the telly on and see you two muppets getting OBEs simply because you copied Noel's House Party."
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