Here’s everything you need to know about the I’m a Celebrity 2023 contestant.
On Sunday 19th November, a new batch of celebrities will enter the Australian jungle as they set up camp for the next few weeks on I’m a Celebrity.
One of those stars is food critic Grace Dent, who’ll be swapping fine dining for beans and rice.
Dent, 50, is a columnist, broadcaster and author. She’s best known for appearing on MasterChef UK as a food critic and has also featured on Channel 4’s Very British Problems.
She’ll join the likes of TV presenter Fred Sirieix, YouTuber Nella Rose and actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears, who are just some of the contestants in the I’m a Celebrity line-up.
And while Dent is happy to help out with the cooking in camp, she’s not quite sure how she’ll deal with the lack of spices.
“Everything is filling me with a real sense of dread,” she admitted ahead of her debut. “But I am especially dreading being really hungry because I tend to eat four or five posh meals out a week because I am a restaurant critic.
“I know they are going to give me an eating trial, and I am dreading putting even worse things in my mouth than I have in the past in fancy restaurants!”
Read on for everything you need to know about the I’m a Celebrity 2023 contestant Grace Dent.
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Who is Grace Dent?
Age: 51
Job: Food critic
Instagram: @gracedent
Grace Dent is a columnist, broadcaster and journalist.
She is a restaurant critic for The Guardian, and from 2011 to 2017, wrote a restaurant column for the Evening Standard.
She’s also known for her work on MasterChef UK as a food critic.
Phobias: Horrible people.
Biggest misconception you want to dispel in the jungle: People think I am quite forthright and scary, but I don’t think I am scary! Hopefully people will see this.
Role in camp: Shoulder to cry on and I am a practical cook, so I can help out.
Best and worst attributes: I would like to think I am funny! My worst quality is lack of sleep. I like my sleep.
Dream camper: Queen Camilla. She would be very practical. And Madonna – she could perform tracks from her Greatest Hits tour!
What has Grace Dent said about joining I’m a Celebrity 2023?
While Grace doesn’t have a fear of snakes or creepy crawlies, she does have some concerns about the food in camp.
“Will I cook there? Yes, I am a practical cook – but it is not cooking as we know it in the jungle,” she said.
“What makes food is herbs and spices, and I am not going to have any ingredients. I don’t know how you are going to make an alligator’s foot taste delicious if there are no spices.
“I can already imagine the dinner I am going to have the moment I get out. I am going to go to a really fancy restaurant and have something delicious, wearing a lovely dress.”
The 50-year-old added that she’s already started eating less in the run up to the jungle.
While Dent knows that it will be hard in the jungle, she says that nothing will ever be harder than losing her beloved parents.
“I have been through a really difficult time over the last four or five years,” she explained. “My dad had dementia, I cared for him and I lost him. Mum had cancer and I lost her.
“I think that this has made me very strong and resilient. This is going to be a big challenge and now I am older, life is for living, and it’s one of the reasons why I said yes.”
On what she’s most afraid about when it comes to the jungle, she added: “I am not scared of snakes – but this has always been in a controlled environment, and I don’t know what I will be like when I am locked in with them.
“My biggest phobia is really horrible people. I hope I can be somebody who people can talk to and I do hope I can stay out of any drama. I always think you don’t change people’s opinions by shouting.
“But what we have got is the time to really begin to understand why people believe the things they believe. This isn’t social media, where you express it in a small number of characters.”
I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! starts on Sunday 19th November at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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