Social media sensation GK Barry has been confirmed as one of 10 celebs set to enter the Australian jungle in a matter of weeks. But the star, who hosts the viral podcast Saving Grace, exclusively admits to the Mirror that she might struggle as she says it "looks like absolute hell".
GK Barry, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has recently been criticised for her controversial podcast episode featuring adult-star Bonnie Blue. But Grace is putting that behind her as she heads to the jungle, alongside the likes of Maura Higgins and Coleen Rooney.
Speaking to the Mirror, she says: "I hate bugs. I hate sleeping outside. I've never done it. And so I think that would be a lot. But I feel like it would also probably be good viewing for other people."
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Saving Grace/Youtube)Since first posting on TikTok in 2020, Grace, 25, has amassed an audience of 3.6 million on the platform. The star, from Cambridge, also has 1.5 million listeners to her podcast, launched in 2022.
After receiving backlash for featuring Bonnie Blue - who claims she has slept with hundreds of "barely legal" men - on her podcast, Grace has since removed the episode. And with news of her entering the jungle out there, it's no surprise she wants to steer clear of the drama.
One person said: "Her audience is 13-20 year old girls. Young and impressionable. This is not the message young girls should be hearing. We need to start de-platforming." Amid the controversy, it has been said that I'm A Celeb are in the midst of an 'absolute PR nightmare' .
"I’m A Celeb is a family show and they can't have anyone on there who agrees with sleeping with barely 18 years olds," the source claimed to The Sun. "The top brass have held crisis talks as to how they handle the backlash with GK enters the show. GK has deleted the video but the furore hasn't gone away."
Joining the 25-year-old content creator are some high profile names, including Coleen Rooney, former Strictly star Oti Mabuse, former boxing champion Barry McQuigan and singer Tulisa.
Discussing her huge following, Grace says the career was entirely accidental. She explains: “I called myself GK Barry because I didn’t want people from school or university finding my videos. I was embarrassed about it at first.
“It’s ironic. When you’re small, a lot of people will judge you for the content you are putting out. But as soon as you start getting bigger, all those people who judged you want to become your best friend.”
Grace made her first big appearance on TV in August when she joined the Loose Women panel, making her one of the youngest ever panelists - born in 1999, the same year as the show.
Despite talk of a “feud” between her and Frankie Bridge, she describes her fellow panellists as the “nicest people ever.” She adds: “I never thought they'd have someone like me on there.
“And I was so nervous when I first started because I thought, ‘My God, what if no one gets my sense of humour?’ Obviously, the audience is very different to people who watch my podcast, but it has been received so well, and everyone on there is so lovely.”
English (US) ·