Mirror Associate Editor Tom Bryant was at Brisbane Airport for every campmate arrival – and reveals if they’re different to their jungle persona
After a gruelling 20 hour plus flight, it’s probably the last thing anyone would want to contend with. But the media greeting all the campmates at Brisbane Airport before their three-week stint in the jungle is now very much part of I’m a Celebrity tradition. For us journalists, it’s a fascinating early indicator of who the characters on the show are going to be – and who will resonate most with the public. So after meeting all of the celebs again this year, these are my predictions for who might do well, and what they were really like…
Kelly Brook – Glammed up in the plane loo
There are entrances, and there are Kelly Brook entrances. At Heathrow, she was pictured in a brown tracksuit – but here in Brisbane she emerged resplendent in a yellow and tangerine dress, having clearly glammed up in the airplane loos. She was on great form: funny, unfiltered and showing no signs of a 20-hour plane journey. She’d also devised a hilarious cover story for her trip Down Under: a trip to see her long-lost Auntie Sheila (regardless of the fact she was being ushered into a car laid on by ITV!). You can see why she is popular in camp.
Lisa Riley – a rare thing in showbiz: someone who is normal
Despite the gruelling flight, Lisa emerged in arrivals just like she is in the jungle – with a huge smile and a sense of fun. Again, despite the ITV chaperone beside her she was sticking to what sounded like a well-rehearsed story – she was in Australia to film a new version of Emmerdale spin-off, Dingles Down Under. We even saw that motherly nature that is so well-known in camp. As we chatted to her going down the escalator, she was worried about us falling over at the end of the ramp. She is the rare thing in showbiz: someone who is normal. It’s something her campmates clearly like about her too.
Shona McGarty – a little shy to begin with but up for a laugh
“This is the weirdest thing,” Shona laughed as she was greeted by a sea of cameras in the arrivals hall. “I got on the wrong flight, it said Austria.” It’s fair to say that Shona seemed a little bemused by all the fuss as she walked through the arrivals hall. But she was sweet, maybe a little shy (to begin with), but clearly up for a laugh. Like Lisa, she seemed completely normal and untouched by the fake, showbiz world. Let’s hope that viewers get to see more of this side of her.
Aitch – a tad suspicious but warmed up
Dressed in a black Adidas hoodie with shades, we wouldn’t have recognised Aitch if it weren’t for the fact he was greeted by ITV. My first thought was that perhaps he might have preferred it this way, as he seemed a little bewildered by the attention, and maybe a tad suspicious of us all. But he soon warmed up and his deadpan humour that viewers have come to love was on full display. “I don’t mind snakes…snakes on toast,” he said when asked how he was with any potential critters. Quizzed who he would miss, he replied: “I am going to miss my sister, even though she is a little s***.”
Angry Ginge – down to earth and well-prepared
The 24-year-old had clearly done his homework ahead of his first encounter with the media. Straight away, it occurred to us he must have got wifi on his flight, as he’d been watching our videos of other campmates arriving in Brisbane. Hilariously, he told us that he’d heard Kelly Brook was off to meet her Auntie and that Lisa Riley was doing Dingles Down Under….and both had rung him up to ask for him to join them. He was funny and down-to-earth. In what was also an airport arrivals first, it wasn’t just the assorted press pack waiting to meet Ginge….he had fans come to greet him too. The jungle favourite tag might be justified…
Ruby Wax – genuinely bemused but charming
Ruby was everything you wanted her to be. Unlike the other celebs, there was no cover story about why she was in Australia….she was open from the get-go. She said she wouldn’t miss anything bar her cats, and that this was the “weirdest thing she had ever done.” She seemed genuinely bemused by all the attention, and couldn’t grasp at first why we were interested in her. “Thanks for showing up…see you on the other side,” she laughed. As Donald Trump found out, she can be a spiky interviewer…but when the tables are turned, she is totally charming.
Eddie Kadi – friendly but a bit quieter
Eddie arrived after the full-line up had been officially announced – but he was determined to plead ignorance as to the reason he was in Australia. Asked if he was excited about the Jungle, he replied: “I’m looking for Mowgli.” Pressed further, he added: “Are there jungles here?” Although he didn’t have the energy he often displays in camp – perhaps understandable after a 20 hour flight – he was warm, friendly, and happy to chat. Albeit not about potential camplife!
Alex Scott – emotional about jungle life
We all came away from chatting to Alex saying exactly the same thing….just how nice she was. In fact, it’s fair to say we weren’t expecting her to be as chatty as she was, particularly about how much she would miss her girlfriend Jess Glynne. Instead she was refreshingly candid about the prospect of life without her popstar partner. “This is the longest we are going to be apart…it’s going to be hard,” she said. “ You are making me emotional now ..I have been trying not to think about how long we are going to be separated.” If viewers get to see more of this side of her, she could do really well in the Jungle….
Jack Osbourne – didn’t get into the jungle spirit
Perhaps it was the fact his flight was cancelled and he had to get a later one. Or the fact he has had a pretty rough few months after his dad passed away. So it’s perhaps understandable that Jack didn’t get into the jungle spirit quite as much as the other celebs landing at Brisbane airport. I asked if he was looking forward to spending the night under the stars – a pretty innocuous question – and he teased: “You clearly haven’t done your research.” In the jungle, Jack opened up about how he hated the “huge amount of attention” that came with filming the Osbournes at a young age. Maybe that extends to the fanfare around I’m a Celebrity too. Or maybe he just didn’t appreciate being asked questions after a long flight. Either way, watching him drop his guard in camp, you sense the jungle might be a better place to meet the real Jack than a harshly-lit arrivals hall.
Martin Kemp – suave and charming
