I’m A Celeb has seen hundreds of famous contestants walk into the jungle, but sadly some of them are no longer with us. And one comedian who got booted out of the show by TV bosses died penniless
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here is finally back on our screens and it’s already promising plenty of drama, with fans already calling for one contestant to be booted out and an awkward interaction with Ant and Dec caught on camera.
There are 10 stars taking part in this year’s ITV series, with the likes of TV presenter Alex Scott, Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley and Ozzy Osbourne’s son Jack Osbourne arriving in camp yesterday. Viewers of tonight’s episode will see YouTuber Angry Ginge take part in a wild Bushtucker Trial with comedian Ruby Wax.
While the hit show is usually full of wild challenges, deadly snakes, grim food and camaraderie between campmates, the series has been hit with tragedy over the years and some of its contestants are sadly no longer with us.
One such celeb is Freddie Starr. Once one of Britain’s best-known comedians, he became a recluse in his final years, relying on his carer as his only regular company. The comedian was also thought to be estranged from his six children when he died.
Aged 68 when he entered the jungle in 2011, bosses were forced to make him leave the show after fearing he would die during filming. He collapsed following an intense trial against Made in Chelsea star Mark Wright where they ate a fermented egg, a pig’s anus and camel’s toe, with doctors believing he had had an extreme allergic reaction. One source told The Mirror at the time that they could not risk him getting ill again and banned him from going back.
The insider said: “Freddie is clearly not well and life in the jungle is tough. The last thing we want is for him to get really ill or, heaven forbid, die live on television. It felt irresponsible to allow him back in the jungle.”
Then, in 2019, the star died of a heart attack in his £170,000 one-bedroom flat on the Costa del Sol in Spain. According to reports at the time, the comedian was so broke when he died that there were plans to give him a pauper’s burial in Spain before a stranger intervened to pay for his reparation and funeral.
Funeral director Michael Fogg, from Sheffield, said he eventually covered the costs to ensure Freddie’s body could be returned to England. Michael told The Daily Mail: “Anyone who can make a funeral director laugh must be a bloody good comedian. And Freddie Starr could make me laugh.
“He shouldn’t be buried in foreign land, he should be brought back to be in his own country. For those asking why I am paying, well it is my money, it is my business and that is what I want to spend my money on. He should be reunited with the people he loved and his family.”
Meanwhile, Freddie’s carer Nelly, from Bulgaria, told the Daily Record he had been out of contact with relatives for years. She was the one who found his body when he died.
Source: Mirror
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