Comedian Seann Walsh has broken his silence following his shock elimination from I'm A Celebrity... South Africa, admitting he "knew" he would be the first to be voted off. The 40-year-old star, who first appeared on the regular edition of Ant and Dec's ITV reality show in 2022, returned for the All Stars series filmed last year and airing since Easter Monday.
Shock Elimination and Camp 'Hellhole'
In a dramatic twist during Thursday night's episode, Walsh lost a trial, prompting King Harry Redknapp to order his departure from the jungle. Reflecting on his exit, Walsh confessed he had no chance of survival, particularly as he faced formidable opponents. "I knew it was going to be me, because I knew who I was up against, including a former Queen of The Jungle and a former world champion!" he stated.
Early in the series, Walsh was placed in the less-than-luxurious Savannah Scrub camp alongside Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard and former Emmerdale star Adam Thomas. He humorously described the trio as utterly useless to fellow campers Gemma Collins and Sinitta. "It was an absolute hellhole. The toilet was facing the shower. Honestly, I think the three most useless people to be left together in Savannah Scrub were Adam, myself, and Bev. You couldn't have hoped for a more useless three, to the point where we couldn’t see any kind of door for the long drop, so we assumed there wasn't one!"
Intensified Trials and Emotional Aftermath
Regarding the gruesome Bushtucker Trials, a staple since the franchise began in 2002, Walsh noted the difficulty level was unprecedented. "The trials were harder and scarier. It felt like it was turned up to eleven, so that just put more anxiety into the camp," he explained.
Upon his initial exit, Walsh expressed mixed emotions. "It’s a combination of emotions. I’m thrilled to be able to see my family, because I’ve missed my kids a lot. At the same time, I’m sad they won’t be able to see me in the jungle for longer and doing more trials," he shared. When asked if the second jungle experience was better, he replied, "I preferred coming fifth last time. Doing I’m A Celebrity… the first time, my Mrs said to me, ‘You’ve got to do this, life’s an adventure. You’ll be able to tell the kids.’ Most people don’t get to do that with their lives, it’s an extraordinary thing. For it to come around a second time is unbelievable."
Lessons Learned and Future Reflections
Walsh emphasized the value of the experience, highlighting the extraordinary people he lived with. "The pleasure for me doing the jungle was the extraordinary people you get to live with. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that," he remarked. When asked about the biggest lesson learned, he said, "I’d really like to use this to spend less time on my phone when I’m home. It’s tough. You learn out there that you don’t need it."
I'm A Celebrity... South Africa continues to air weekdays at 9pm on ITV and ITVX, keeping viewers engaged with more twists and trials in the jungle.
