Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley is the bookies favourite to face the first Bushtucker trial in the upcoming series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
The 65-year-old presenter is one of the 12 stars on the rumoured line-up said to be entering Gwrych Castle in Wales when the show returns to ITV later this month.
The notorious trials have thrown up some of the best TV moments in recent years, with the gory challenges, often involving eating, holding, or otherwise being surrounded by bugs.
Cheered on by hosts Ant and Dec, contestants have to complete a challenge in order to win stars, which can be exchanged for food.
Richard, famed for his hilarious quips and blunders, is being tipped by William Hill as the favourite to be chosen by the public first, with Coronation Street’s Simon Gregson and The Saturdays star Frankie Bridge in joint second place.
Simon Gregson, who has played Steve McDonald on Coronation Street since 1989, is swapping the Corrie cobbles for the North Wales castle, and is joint-second favourite on 9-2.
Meanwhile, DJ Naughty Boy is being tipped at 4/1 to be the first celebrity to be eliminated from camp, followed by former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips at 9/1.
While Bushtucker trials have played a huge part in the show since its debut in 2002, Peta has called for a boycott of this year’s programme’s continued use of live animals in the show for ‘cheap laughs’.
The animal rights charity has long campaigned against the use of animals in the infamous Bushtucker Trials, from live rats and snakes to spiders, cockroaches and mealworms.
Peta UK’s Media and Communications Manager, Jennifer White, exclusively told Metro.co.uk that the British public’s attitude is changing and ITV must change the structure of the show if they want to stay relevant.
The charity described the trials as ‘absolutely wrong’ and are calling for it to ‘stop’.
‘We encourage everyone to boycott watching this year’s show,’ it added.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! returns on Sunday November 21 at 9pm on ITV.
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