Grace Dent calls quitting I’m a Celeb the ‘greatest regret of my life’

Food critic Grace Dent said her decision to quit I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! “will be the greatest regret of my life” in her first interview since leaving the show.

Former MasterChef UK star Dent, 50, suddenly dropped out of the ITV reality show “on medical grounds” after just one week in the Australian jungle.

She addressed her abrupt departure for the first time on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Coming Out – the post-finale episode documenting how the former campmates spent their first days back in the real world.

During Wednesday (13 December) night’s episode, Dent admitted that, while she “didn’t want to go” home, life inside the camp was made difficult by a complete “lack of control”.

“There’s no place to hide,” she continued. “And you’re in there with people who, under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t share a sleeping space with. You know, Nigel Farage.”

The former Ukip and Brexit Party leader was this year’s most controversial I’m a Celeb participant; long-time fans threatened to boycott the series after Farage, 59, agreed to appear on it.

“You shout about Brexit at him all day, it’s water off a duck’s back,” Dent said. “If you want to mess him up, put the tea towel somewhere it’s not meant to be.

“But no, I didn’t want to go,” she continued. “Leaving my campmates and the girls will be the greatest regret of my life.”

After Dent’s exit was announced, a spokesperson for the show told The Independent: “Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds. She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike.”

Dent wasn’t the only participant to quit the show early; Britney Spears’s sister Jamie Lynn Spears followed suit after 10 days in the camp, with a representative for the show also citing “medical grounds” as the reason for her exit.

Former Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson was crowned King of the Jungle on Sunday (10 December), after three gruelling weeks of Bushtucker trials.

The last episode saw the remaining three contestants – Thompson, former professional boxer Tony Bellew, and Farage – go head-to-head in their final Bushtucker trials.

Despite high-profile signings and a healthy dose of drama; however, viewership figures for the 2023 I’m a Celeb finale episode reportedly plummeted by over four million, as compared to last year’s edition.

According to data obtained by Mail Online, the episode drew an average of 6.6 million viewers, with the audience figures peaking at 7.6 million.

In comparison, 11.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2022 finale, during which former Lioness Jill Scott was crowned winner.

A spokesperson for ITV told the newspaper: “I’m A Celebrity is the biggest entertainment show on any channel this year having launched with 10.9 million.

“The series is currently averaging a consolidated nine million viewers and last night’s finale drew a peak overnight audience of 7.6 million (average 6.6 million).”