Noel Edmonds confirmed as final I'm A Celebrity campmate – and says he'll retire from TV if he's voted King of the Jungle
Apparently it was Dec who first encouraged the Swap Shop and Deal or No Deal presenter to do a stint Down Under
It's TV's worst kept secret, but presenter Noel Edmonds has finally been confirmed as a late addition to the I'm a Celebrity camp.
Edmonds – who made his name hosting popular TV series Swap Shop, Deal or No Deal and Noel's House Party – has revealed it was presenter Dec who first suggested he sign up to the ITV jungle series.
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"It actually started as I was filming with Dec earlier in the year and he said ‘Ah you should do the Jungle’. Our 15-year-old son, Harrison, was there at the time and he said ‘it will be brilliant; you have got to do the Jungle’."
After coming under "considerable pressure" from his son, Edmonds signed up – and has promised to retire from TV should he be crowned the winner of this series.
"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!"
We're sure there are many who will baulk at such a threat...
After all, Edmonds is responsible for some of the most iconic shows on British TV – and he's well aware that very fact might come back to bite him...
“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.”
And it's not just heights and confined areas he's nervous about – Edmonds isn't exactly delighted about being a late entry, three days after the other contestants entered the jungle:
"It’s going to feel a bit like turning up to a party a few hours after it’s started but not even being able to bring a bottle! It’s going to be an interesting reaction."
Still, he suggests his ability to fly might come in handy: "The helicopter they use are the helicopters I fly so I could turn up and say ‘hello I’m a celebrity, I’m going to get you out of here!'"
This year's I'm a Celebrity – which sees Holly Willoughby stand in for presenter Ant McPartlin – achieved the series' most viewed launch episode in five years with almost 11 million viewers tuning in on opening night.
And many of the show's fans will no doubt be excited for Edmonds' addition to the camp which is expected to be teased at the end of the episode airing on Wednesday 21st November.
After all, he is the man who gave us this...
... and this:
And – of course – this:
