Cliff Parisi is entering the I'm a Celebrity jungle on Thursday night, and we can't wait to see the Call the Midwife star on the show, particularly since he'll be kicking things off with his first Bushtucker trial along with the other latecomer, Andrew Whyment. Ahead of his jungle debut, find out everything you need to know about the actor here…
Cliff Parisi's early life
Cliff previously revealed that his family struggled with homelessness when he was just a baby after their landlady suggested that his parents, who were teenagers at the time, sold her their child in lieu of rent, and kicked them out when they refused. He said: "When my mum came back from hospital with me, she wouldn’t give me or my sister up so the landlady threw us all out. No one physically had the space for my parents or they would have taken them in."
After sleeping rough in Victoria Park, Cliff and his sister were placed in foster care, but were eventually returned to their parents. Cliff admitted he didn't know this had happened until recently, explaining: "When my mum told me that story last year, I was quite upset. I didn’t know who I felt more sorry for, them or me. It was a bit shocking."
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Cliff Parisi's career
Cliff began his career as a stand-up comedian back in the 80s, so he and Andrew Maxwell will have plenty to chat about! He then began acting and appeared in Bramwell and Chancer before landing the role of Minty in EastEnders in 2002. He is also known for playing Fred in Call the Midwife.
Why Cliff Parisi went on I'm a Celeb
Cliff admitted that he agreed to I'm a Celebrity in order to pay his taxes, telling The Sun: "Yeah, I have got a bill I need to pay. Like everyone at this time of year you go, ‘Oh no! Again. I thought I paid that.' I had a meeting about this earlier on in the year and I thought about it long and hard and said no... Then, as it crept along to September and I got an estimate for my tax, I phoned them up and said, 'Is it too late to say yes?’ So here I am."
Is Cliff Parisi married?
The 59-year-old is married to BBC producer Tara Wyer, and the pair share a son, Arthur. Cliff also has three children from previous relationships, Mandy, 31, and sons Dean, 25, and Jack 21.
