Richard Madeley 'seriously considering' I'm a Celeb 2020
The presenter has previously turned down attempts to drag him Down Under
After three weeks of Bushtucker Trials, creepy crawlies and a lot of camp rows, we’ve crowned our winner of I’m a Celebrity 2019.
And while it hasn’t been one of the best received, or most-watched series of I’m a Celebrity, it seems Richard Madeley has well and truly caught the jungle bug after son-in-law James Haskell took part in this series.
Having previously turned down offers to head into the jungle previously, the 63-year-old broadcaster told RadioTimes.com that his stint in Channel 4’s The Circle may have also swayed him to take part in the 20th series of I’m a Celeb.
“People think if you say no to I’m a Celebrity it’s because you don’t want to eat kangaroo testicles or you’re terrified of heights or spiders or snakes and for me, the reason until now I’ve been saying no, is nothing to do with that,” he explained.
“It’s just it’s a month – it’s a good month out of your life. When I did The Circle I was only out of circulation for a total of 7 or 8 days. Like most people, I’m quite busy and I’ve got a lot going on.
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“So if they ask me next year, I will think about it seriously, but I’d really have to have a look at my diary really and see how it would impact work. I would think carefully about it and if I could make room for it.”
Madeley added he knew Haskell, who was the fourth to be eliminated from the 2019 series, would struggle in the jungle after he bickered with some of his campmates.
“I knew that his Achilles heel was going to be hunger, or hanger, they call it,” he said.
“We had quite a long chat about that before he went. I think he even tried fasting a day or so before he went just to see if he could acclimatise to eat that many calories for a twenty four hour period.
“I mean James is a lovely guy, and of course he just had this kind of meltdown where he was basically snapping at everybody. It isn’t like him at all.”
But should he enter the jungle himself, Madeley said he would not be bothered about public perception or being slated on social media.
“I couldn’t give a f***,” he said bluntly. “I got my first job in 1978, and I’ve been continuously in television ever since.
“If you’re constantly worried about how you’re coming over and what people thought about you, you would go mad. All you can do, is be true to yourself, basically.”
I’m a Celebrity returns to ITV in 2020. Catch up on this series on the ITV Hub
