The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! line-up has been depleted for the second time in 24 hours after Craig Charles decided to leave the jungle on learning his older brother had died unexpectedly.
Coronation Street star Craig, who was told the sad news by producers when he first woke up on Thursday morning (Australian time), will jet back to the UK to be with his friends and family.
An ITV spokesperson confirmed his departure, saying: "Craig decided to leave the I'm A Celebrity camp earlier today and will be heading back to his family the UK. We send our sincere condolences to Craig and his family."
As heat reported late last night, the producers were told about Craig’s brother Dean passing away but took the decision to leave it until Craig had woken up rather than giving him the awful news in the middle of the night.
That was the reason he was exempt from last night’s Bushtucker Trial vote, and why he couldn’t be seen on screen when Ant and Dec went into camp to deliver the verdict to the campmates.
A show insider told the Mirror: "We took the decision not to shock him and wake him in the middle of the night and will inform him of the sad news when he wakes up," the source continued.
"He will be allowed to do exactly what he wishes."
Now it has emerged that Dean Charles, who was the owner of a bar in Spain named ‘Lister’ after Craig’s Red Dwarf character, died of a heart attack on Tuesday evening.
Former King of the Jungle Kian Egan has tweeted his condolences, saying the news was “so sad”.
Craig won plenty of fans during his time in the jungle thanks to his laid-back attitude and his willingness to throw himself into everything – he even learned to knit in order to win food for his Celebrity Slammer cell mates.
Ahead of his I’m A Celeb appearance, the 50-year-old actor had said he holds no fear anymore because of his drug-using past and his clean bill of health ever since quitting his £250,000 cocaine habit.
He added: “When you've been through some of the situations that I have, fear is a very tangible concept. I'm not really scared of things.”
I'm A Celebrity 2014: Gemma Collins most iconic statements
I'm A Celebrity 2014: Gemma Collins most iconic statements
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"People are going to see the real bare, stripped-back me. I might just become Bear Grylls, you never know."We never did get to see Gemma chowing down on a raw snake, drinking her own urine or sleeping inside a rancid camel (yep, Bear Grylls has seriously done all of those things).
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"Yeah alright, I've cracked at the first hurdle. It's like the turtle and the slug or the horse and the rabbit or something, I can't remember what it is."Who could forget the age-old story of the turtle and the slug?
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"If they don’t give us a treat I’m going to kill myself.”Well, the suicide threats didn’t work, but outside of the jungle is a plentiful world of treats just waiting for Gem.
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"I've never been in a shower which takes so much hard work but you've just got to roll with it, like Oasis said."
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"I feel like I’ve got malaria. My poo is bright fluorescent yellow, we’ve got to get out of here today.”Symptoms of malaria do not include yellow poo, constant whinging or an Essex accent, sorry Gem.
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"Seriously, I'd give anything for a bit of dried fruit. Dried fruit! I'm not even asking for a ham sandwich. You know what I mean? With a packet of Quavers on the side."We’re not sure dried fruit is the best remedy for fluorescent yellow diarrhea Gem, maybe just stick to dry bread and water until the ‘malaria’ clears up.
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"People that murder get treated better than this, and that's the truth. Even a murderer gets fed three times a day."Murderers also don’t get paid at least £25,000 to go on a jolly holiday to Australia either. They also tend not to have strops and quit their sentences, but who cares about the details….
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"If I'm not in that camp in three minutes, I'm quitting."That’s what the helicopter was for, Gem.