According to Emmerdale co-star Bradley Riches, Lisa Riley is acing it in the I’m A Celebrity jungle. Bradley discusses her difficulties, his feelings for Lisa, and if he would ever venture to the jungle on his own.
Lisa Riley is currently flying the flag for Emmerdale in the I’m A Celebrity jungle. The lovable star – who plays Mandy Dingle on the ITV soap – is acing it Down Under alongside her fellow 11 campmates.
Back home, her Emmerdale co-star Bradley Riches – who is set to release a new book Autistically Me – is championing her all the way. Firm friends, Bradley – who plays Lewis Barton on th soap – is in charge of her social media and is loving seeing Lisa showing her authentic self on the screen and how different (and similar) she is to Mandy Dingle.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Bradley revealed: “I’ve never watched one of these shows where I’ve known someone well. Mutual friends maybe but not someone I’ve worked with. Seeing Lisa on there being her true authentic self is wonderful.
You notice her dishonesty. You can feel her kindness. You can tell she has incredible listening abilities. You can tell how open-minded she is. You can see Lisa in all of its glory. We want Lisa to be on the air for the entire hour!
Lisa’s main concern prior to her time in the jungle was whether people would be proud of her. She responded, “I don’t know, but I asked how she was feeling.” He said, “She seemed very calm to me.
She seemed very relaxed when she took my photos of her flight. She only worried about missing people because she adores her family dearly. She continued to say that she wanted to inspire admiration from others.
Bradley and Lisa are always in the make-up room together and have become great friends, but their characters don’t really cross paths on screen.
She welcomed me with open arms when I first met her. I went in there, sat on my chair, and was extremely nervous when she came over, introduced herself, and we immediately established a relationship, he said.
We’re always together in the make-up room. The ideal type of friendship is it. She is a mother, a champion for queer voices, and I feel very safe around her.
Bradley loves seeing Lisa in the live portion of the show, and despite knowing she’ll struggle to be with being away from her loved ones, he knows she’s in good company.
When Al (her partner) calls, and we both take turns watching the trial, which is live, is when they say, “Oh my gosh, this is her right now,” he said.
She always appears to be smiling. She just beams whenever the live broadcast begins, and I believe she is having a great time. She’s made some amazing friends. Because she is such a family-oriented person, she will probably struggle and miss her family in some circumstances. We want to see her through the entire process because she is amazing!
As for his own stint in the jungle, Bradley – who did Celebrity Big Brother in 2024 – would love to be on the show. “Big Brother was great fun – but you have air conditioning! I don’t know how I’d be with trials – I’d just go for it and hope for the best. For me, it’ll be the sensory thing of being in a moist camp all the time and I think that would aggravate me,” he quipped.
“But if the phone came ringing, I’d go to Australia! At least then I’d know my partner and family would be in a five star hotel and have an experience like no other!” Always thinking of others is just one of Bradley’s superpowers.
The actor is thrilled to be playing an autistic character on Emmerdale and would like to see more people with autism on television. The power of soaps is incredible, in my opinion. Therefore, Lewis’ presence in the community is crucial, he said.
With his new book Autistically Me, Bradley wants to inspire others to spread awareness about neurodiverse people and to educate those who may not have known or be able to relate to someone who is neurodivergent.
This is true; it uses my own experiences to offer advice and tips to all people, including those who are diagnosed with autism, young people who are in their early stages, seniors who come from all different communities, teachers, educators, parents, siblings, aunties and uncles. This book can teach something to anyone.
Autistically Me is now available to be pre-ordered ahead of its 2026 release.
Source: Mirror
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