It won’t be long before we see this year’s celebs enter the I’m A Celebrity 2021 castle, as the show returns on Sunday 21st November.
The I’m A Celebrity 2021 line-up was announced this week, and includes the likes of Frankie Bridge, Louise Minchin, Kadeena Cox, and Naughty Boy – who was actually rumoured to appear on the series last year.
Speaking to press including RadioTimes.com, Naughty Boy – full name Shahid Khan – revealed that he was indeed due to take part on the show’s first UK series, but was unable to leave his mum Zahida, who has dementia.
“I was about to do it last year, and I was really excited about it, but life just wasn’t permitted for me to do last year,” he explained.
“I mean, we were in and out of COVID, and because I live with my mum and her carer, it was just a bit risky for me to leave mum for that amount of time.”
This year, the show will return to Gwrych Castle in Wales, where I’m A Celebrity was filmed last year due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Despite efforts for the series to return to its original location in Australia, producers recently revealed that I’m A Celebrity 2021 would be filmed in the UK for a second year – something which made signing up easier for Naughty Boy.
“To be honest, if this was Australia, I don’t think I would be doing it for that long,” the music producer added. “But, when it came back around this year, I just had such a feeling that things are so much easier with mum and with her living carer and my family, so I was like, ‘No, it’s an opportunity. I want to take it!’”
I’m A Celebrity returns to ITV on 21st November. Visit our Entertainment hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV guide.