Emotions were high in the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle yesterday as the campmates shared farewell speeches ahead of the first elimination.
This year’s contestants have gone down a storm with viewers, and have been getting on like a house on fire in camp.
However, as the final week of the ITV survival show dawns, the sad truth is that it’s now time for celebs to start heading home.
Emily Atack described the downbeat mood in camp yesterday, saying: “We have all become so close, and we don’t know what this experience will be like without one of us here.”
After a dramatic afternoon competing for immunity from the first elimination, the winning campmates visited Snake Rock to enjoy a sausage dinner.
Meanwhile, the losers were left at base camp with their meagre portions rice and beans.
For once, the basic rations weren’t their biggest worry, as they began sharing their potential farewell speeches with the group.
Emily told how her time in the Australian outback had cheered her up following the end of her long-term relationship earlier this year.
“Coming here I realised I don’t need to be anything other than myself,” she mused.
“I’ve been stripped bare here and not a single person has judged a bone in my body. You’ve made me the happiest I’ve been in such a long time, thank you.”
Anne Hegerty then thanked everyone for rallying round her during the challenging first week.
“I didn’t think I would do something that was going to make me feel so exposed and vulnerable and people wouldn’t judge me for it,” The Chaser explained.
“You have all been incredibly kind when I needed kindness, so I will miss you all terribly.”
Noel Edmonds recalled worrying about his late arrival, and said I’m A Celebrity had become one of his favourite experiences.
“It wasn’t easy coming in late, so thank you for making it easy as you can,” he smiled.
“Earlier today I was reflecting on how fortunate I am in my life and thinking about true experiences. I wasn’t expecting this to get into the top ten of all time.”
Rita Simons avoided getting too deep, simply stating: “I love you all”.
Harry Redknapp said there’s “not one person here I could say anything bad about” and described his stay as “unbelievable”.
Meanwhile, James McVey said he’s “learned so much from all” of the celebs.
He summed up the show by saying: “It’s the most bizarre set up and none of us will ever do this again and what we do in here is so raw.”
The first elimination takes place in tonight’s show. A break is then expected to take place on Saturday, before daily vote-offs resume on Sunday.
