I’m A Celebrity: Michael Buerk’s wife insists husband won’t quit – ‘He’s been in worse situations, he’s been blown up!’

The former war reporter was rumoured to have reached his breaking point on the show

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by Owen Tonks |
Published on

There’ve been so many rumours about people joining and leaving I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! this series, we just can’t keep up.

Earlier this week speculation mounted around the stability of Michael Buerk in the jungle camp after his wife jetted out to Australia to be nearby.

But it seems he’s doing just fine – Christine Buerk insists he won’t quit as he’s experienced some horrific things as a war reporter.

She told MailOnline: “Michael isn’t a quitter. I don’t see him walking out. He’s been in worse places.

“He’s been shot at, he’s been gassed, he’s been blown up in an ammunition dump explosion, he’s seen a sound guy die, he’s seen a cameraman lose his arm.

“He’s been in real reality situations that have been very tough. I would be really, really surprised if he broke.”

Christine added that the fact he’s worked in all kinds of extreme environments in the past means her former BBC newsreader husband is well prepared to camp out in the jungle.

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She said: “He was a foreign correspondent for many years and a lot of people only seem to remember him presenting the news – but he was out in the field for years before he did the presentation job. He’s been in a lot of tough places.”

The journalist sparked concern amongst some viewers due to his gaunt appearance and it was thought he might be pulled from the show for health reasons.

However, Christine is happy Michael can survive on the camp’s diet of rice and beans, even though they only consume 500 calories a day.

She said: “He was quite slim when he arrived. I was trying to encourage him to build up before coming out here, which he didn’t do.

“He’s not got a lot of spare flesh on him, but he’s in good shape. I think it’s far, far healthier to be a little underweight than overweight.”

Well, Michael is quickly shaping up to be one of our faves, so we’re glad he’s not doing a runner!

GALLERY: I'm A Celebrity - the worst Bushtucker Trials EVER!

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I'm A Celebrity 2014: The WORST Bushtucker Trials EVER!

Dean Gaffney (2006)1 of 8

Dean Gaffney (2006)

Ex-EastEnder Dean Gaffney showed off his impressive ability to yelp like an injured animal in his 2006 trial. To be fair to the man, he did have cockroaches poured on his head, put his hands in a box of biting ants and retrieve a star from a pool of baby crocodiles.

Gino Du2019Acampo (2009)2 of 8

Gino D’Acampo (2009)

“I think I’ve got to eat some kind of weird stuff,” commented Gino when he was told he was going to do a Bushtucker Bonanza. Yep, we guess that a fermented egg, a rhino beetle, cockroach, wittchedy grub, mealworms, beach worms and crocodile tongue might be considered ‘weird’.

Jennie Bond (2004)3 of 8

Jennie Bond (2004)

Alone, wet, cold and covered with rats. Not a situation we’d like to get in any time soon, but former Royal correspondent Jennie Bond managed to last a whole 10 minutes locked in a water and rat filled coffin by humming an upbeat tune. We salute you, Ms. Bond.

Joey Essex (2013)4 of 8

Joey Essex (2013)

Locked in a cold, dark, slimy tomb, we’d be freaking out if we were Joey in his 2013 task. But the TOWIE star powered through and managed to find all twelve hidden stars without uttering a single scream, only stopping to moan ‘This is definitely, 100% not reem,’ and to comment that the rodents were biting his ‘middle parts’.

Mark Wright and Freddie Starr (2011)5 of 8

Mark Wright and Freddie Starr (2011)

TOWIE’s Mark and hamster-eating comedian Freddie were an oddly matched pair for the ‘Greasy Spoon Café’ culinary battle, but the resulting Bushtucker trial has to be one of our faves. The couple was challenged to dine on a spoiled egg, blended cockroaches, mealworms and mouse tails, turkey testicles, a camel’s toe and a pigs anus.

Martina Navratilova (2008)6 of 8

Martina Navratilova (2008)

Tennis pro Martina impressed us all when she shared a plastic bubble helmet with a variety of jungle critters, including grasshoppers, cockroaches, stick insects, spiders and snakes. While we shuddered and hid behind our hands, Martina took it like a champ.

Matt Willis (2006)7 of 8

Matt Willis (2006)

Poor Matt Willis proved he’s no wimp when he munched his way to victory in his Bushtucker Bonanza challenge of 2006. The McBusted star dined out on live mealworms, witchetty grubs, a kangaroo anus and a crocodile penis. Mr Willis managed the whole lot without a single retch, commenting after ‘I’ve got kangaroo anus in my teeth. It’s a really good look.’

Kim Woodburn (2009)8 of 8

Kim Woodburn (2009)

Kim was submerged in a tank under water, while thousands of cockroaches and other critters were poured on her. As much as we did feel for clean freak Kim, her screeches of "Something’s nipping my bosoms" and "It's bitten my bum!" made this trial a timeless classic.

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