I’m A Celebrity 2020: Shane Richie to star in reality series after becoming ‘literally skint’ during pandemic

ITV’s hit reality series will return to screens on Sunday 15 November

Monday 09 November 2020 03:37 EST

Ant and Dec do first ever bush-tucker trial

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Shane Richie has revealed that his appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! will help him pay off debts.

The former EastEnders star – who famously portrayed Alfie Moon in the BBC soap – spoke candidly about how severely the pandemic has affected his work.

Richie – who has been officially unveiled as part of this year’s line-up – said: “I was going on tour, doing a TV series and a panto but that all got cancelled in March.”

The actor continued: “Now I am literally skint. You save money for a rainy day but you don’t expect the rainy day to last six months.”

The 56-year-old added that he has been forced to “borrow money from mates, my family and the bank”. As a result of the loans, he said: “My wife is now very happy we can finally pay off the credit card.”

Due to pandemic-related filming restrictions, ITV has moved this year’s series to Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales, instead of the usual Australian outback setting.

The line-up was officially announced on Sunday (8 November) during a 20th anniversary special of the show that saw Ant and Dec take on gruelling Bushtucker Trials for the first time.

In addition to Richie, other contestants include fellow soap star Liz McDonald, Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah, broadcaster and journalist Victoria Derbyshire.