Shona McGarty is thought to have joined the line up for ITV’s latest series of I’m A Celebrity, where she will face the jungle and Bushtucker Trials is no stranger to hard times
EastEnders actress Shona McGarty will be putting on a brave face now she’s joined the line up for ITV’s I’m A Celebrity.
The actress, 34, is best known for her long-running appearance on BBC ‘s EastEnders as Whitney Dean. Leaving the BBC soap last year, she’s been largely out of the spotlight apart from her engagement to Irish musician David Bracken. However recent rumours appear to confirm the couple may have gone their separate ways.
Whilst a romantic split is never easy, Shona has also had her fair share of heartache including a moment in January last year which she described as the “hardest decision of my life”. The actor had to say goodbye to her beloved pet dog Coco. Recalling how the canine ‘saw her through some of the worst times and struggles in her life’, she gave an emotional update to fans as she broke the news.
Speaking on Instagram at the time, she wrote: “Today has been one of the hardest decisions I’ll ever make. My beautiful fur baby Coco Chanel, will be put to sleep at 3.30pm.
“Coco has fought through heart failure for years. I’ve done everything I could, every treatment, every medication, but they just aren’t working anymore, and my brave little bubba has had enough. And even though you’re so sick, you still kiss my nose.”
The BBC star also revealed how she’d been away from the family home while working on a pantomime for the six weeks before her dog’s death, missing Coco “like crazy” during that time. She added Coco’s health had sadly “really deteriorated” as she added: “Myself and your little sister Cece, will miss your happy little face, and gorgeous minstrel eyes, my precious little ‘Coco bean’ my silly ‘Coco Loco’.
“Thank you for the best 10 years of my life. You know all my fears, [anxieties], and secrets. You saw me through some of the worst times and struggles in my life. We’ll never forget you. I love you.”
Over 18 months on since her heartbreaking goodbye to Coco, Shona is facing a new challenge as she lands in Australia for ITV’s I’m A Celebrity. Spotted at the airport, the former BBC soap actress was seen without her engagement ring after her rumoured split from her fiancé David Bracken. Whilst the breakup hasn’t been confirmed, Shona’s words to the Daily Mail were telling as when asked what she would miss about the UK, she said, “Not a lot.’
Shona and David announced their engagement last year after the Irish musician got down on one knee in London’s Holland Park. The couple met on TikTok, and David proposed on their first anniversary shortly before they left for a holiday in Ireland together.
David, who is the lead guitarist of the Galway-based band Blessed, popped the question in the Japanese Kyoto Garden in London’s Holland Park and described the romantic occasion in an interview with OK!, as he said: “I told Shona to go stand at the waterfall in the park. I then put on our favourite song and had a dance with her before getting down on one knee.”
Shona added: “I love Japanese culture and the spirituality of it. He brought a picnic which was really sweet. It was lovely, I was in my element but I didn’t think he was going to propose at all.”
Source: Mirror
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