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Vernon Kay has insisted he and wife Tess Daly have “moved on” from his past sexting scandal with glamour model Rhian Sugden.
The TV and radio host joined the likes of AJ Pritchard, Jessica Plummer and Shane Richie in camp for the latest series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, which kicked off last night (15 November), and revealed he’s more than happy to open up about his past indiscretions on the show.
But the 46-year-old, who shares daughters Phoebe and Amber with Strictly Come Dancing host Tess, has admitted that he doesn’t feel the need to address any misconceptions about himself.
He said, “There isn't a hidden side to me. I've been on telly for 20 years and my career started on a reality show.
“All that stuff is in the past, we've forgotten about that, we've moved on. It's all gone. It's disappeared.”
Although Vernon and his family have moved on from the scandal, he’s willing to talk about his mistakes in camp.
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1 of 12Vernon Kay
TV presenter Vernon Kay has finally agreed to take part in I'm A Celeb after being approached by producers multiple times. He says his daughters Phoebe and Amber are the reason he's doing the show, although we're sure his reported £250k fee has something to do with it too...
2 of 12Victoria Derbyshire
BBC news presenter Victoria Derbyshire has signed up for I'm A Celeb as beating breast cancer has made her determined to take on new challenges. She says, "I am now saying 'yes' to stuff I wouldn't have done previously. And, if I don't do my boys proud, I will never live it down!"
3 of 12Shane Richie
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4 of 12Hollie Arnold
Although Paralympian Hollie Arnold is used to racking up the medals on the athletics track, she's admitted she's not even thought about the possibility of winning I'm A Celeb. She explains, "I haven't thought about it as you get lost in thought. But if I could get that far, it would be incredible and change my life!"
5 of 12Jordan North
Radio 1 DJ Jordan North says he has "so many phobias" but is looking forward to heading into camp as he gets to meet his childhood heroes Ant and Dec.
6 of 12Beverley Callard
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7 of 12AJ Pritchard
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8 of 12Giovanna Fletcher
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9 of 12Mo Farah
Although he's known for his massive success on the running track, Olympic hero Mo Farah says, "It will be nice for people to see me doing something other than running." He reckons his role in camp will be the cook.
10 of 12Jessica Plummer
Former EastEnders actress Jessica Plummer admits it will be hard to give up her luxuries and live in the camp's basic conditions but she's hoping taking part in I'm A Celeb will help her cure her phobias. She says, "I have got all the phobias. When my friends see me too, they are going to say 'what the hell? This doesn't make sense!"
11 of 12Ruthie Henshall
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12 of 12Russell Watson
Opera singer Russell Watson will be joining Ruthie as the second late entrant.
“We've all learned through being more aware about mental health, that talking is a good tonic. I'm more than happy to engage in conversation with anyone about positive stuff and negative stuff,” he added to The Mirror.
“I think that's why I'm hoping this camp will be an open forum with no judgement on what people have done in the past and the present and how they've moved on from it. Everyone has moved on. All that stuff is in the past.”
Vernon’s flirty messages with former Page 3 model Rhian came to light in 2010, rocking his then seven-year marriage to Tess.
He issued an apology to his wife live on Radio 1, saying, “Now this week you may or may not be aware that because of some foolish and stupid decisions I have made, I have disappointed and I have let down a lot of people. To my family and everybody, I am very sorry.”
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But just six years later, the scandal resurfaced when it emerged that Vernon had contacted Rhian once more, although he insisted there was “never any inappropriate intent”.
Earlier this year, Rhian spoke out about the scandal and confessed “it makes me sick”.
"He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me," she said.
"I felt like I was going up and up with my career and then that came along. I wish I’d never met him."
During her appearance on Page Three: The Naked Truth, Rhian went on to add, "He got to give an apology on the radio and just got to carry on, with Family Fortunes, ironically.
"It still makes me feel sick."
Opening up about the criticism she received at the time, Rhian said, “If I’d met this man, slept with him and had a full blown affair with him then I would understand the backlash. It was like I’d literally killed somebody.”