Jane Moore says she agreed to take part in this year's I'm a Celeb after realising life is too short - as she watches Alzheimer's disease "slowly erode" her elderly mother.
The journalist revealed she has been approached before by the bosses of the flagship ITV programme but, on each occasion, she had declined. The regular on Loose Women was offered it again this year and she bit the bullet - so she's now one of the initial ten stars in the jungle.
Jane, 62, says she wants "adventure," having been "rattling around an empty house with lots of 'me time'" since her split with husband Gary Farrow in 2022. Jane added: "Certain close friends have died too young, so I consider myself very lucky to still be here with, touch wood, no serious ailments, and I want to make the most of the active years I have left.
"Added in to the mix is that my elderly mother is living with dementia and is in need of 24/7 care. Seeing her once vibrant life being slowly eroded by Alzheimer's has brought my own in to sharp focus and, cliché I know, reminded me that our time on this planet is short. So when this once-in-a-lifetime experience was offered to me again, my immediate thought this time was, 'Why not?'."
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ITV)Jane shared her mum's plight in her column in The Sun ahead of the series, which starts on Sunday. The journalist, who has three children herself, divulged more information about the selection process, during which she visited the production team's offices in west London and had a medical examination.
"Having passed the medical and psych test, there followed a blissful couple of weeks of utter denial as I went about my daily life. Then came the titles shoot and official photo. For the titles (the bit where you swivel round and smile to camera at the top of the show) I wore my own clothes. For the latter, it was the famous outfit that, once I saw myself in it, meant any further denial was futile," Jane continued.
Jane follows in the footsteps of fellow Loose Woman Janet Street-Porter who, in 2004, participated in the fourth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Janet reached the final stages, though became the sixth contestant eliminated. Linda Robson was also a contestant in 2012 but was the third star booted off.
This year, the odds have narrowed for Danny Jones, one of the lead vocalists and the lead guitarist for McFly, to win. The 38-year-old musician, 4-1 with some bookmakers, was the first contestant to land down under on Monday.
English (US) ·