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I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is returning for 2023 with presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. This year the presenters will be joined in the Australian jungle by Britney Spears’ sister Jamie Lynn Spears, This Morning presenter Josie Gibson, First Dates star Fred Sirieix, and YouTuber Nella Rose.
As well as GB News host and ex-politician Nigel Farage, food critic Grace Dent, JLS singer and presenter Marvin Humes, Danielle Harold, who is best known for EastEnders, and Hollyoaks Icon Nick Pickard. Also taking part is Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson.
Sam said: “I am so excited about taking part in I’m A Celebrity, it still feels like a dream. I feel like a competition winner taking part. It was an absolute resounding ‘yes’ when I got approached. In fact, they didn’t even need to ask! I am a huge fan of the show. Ant and Dec are my idols too and it’s going to be really surreal meeting them.”
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On what he’ll bring to camp, Sam said: “I’d like to think I am the court jester and I don’t take things too seriously, so if anyone is having a bad day I would like to put a smile on their face. Worst? I am quite forgetful and I am bad at focusing on things.”
The 31-year-old is best known for appearing on the reality television show Made in Chelsea between 2013 and 2021 alongside his sister Louise Thompson, who joined the show in 2011. Speaking about his time in the limelight and the biggest misconceptions about him, Sam said: “Since the age of 21, I’ve spent my whole life on TV and so I feel whether people have a good or bad opinion of me, it’s probably warranted!”
(Image: ITV)
Sam also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017 and came in third place, finishing behind Amelia Lily and the late Sarah Harding. Viewers might also recognise Sam from Celebs Go Dating, which he has taken part in three times, as well as Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which he competed in for Stand Up To Cancer in 2019.
In 2021 he appeared on The Celebrity Circle with The Only Way is Essex star and his best friend Pete Wicks, with the pair coming in second place. More recently Sam became a regular panellist on Love Island: Aftersun alongside former Islander Indiyah Polack.
Away from screens, Sam is a presenter on Hits Radio UK and hosts a podcast with Pete called Staying Relevant. He has also amassed a huge social media following thanks to his pranks, dances and hilarious scenarios he posts alongside his girlfriend Zara McDermott.
Strictly Come Dancing fans will recognise Zara as she was part of the 2023 line-up alongside her professional partner Graziano Di Prima, however, the pair were the fourth couple to be eliminated this year. Zara was a government policy advisor, working for the Department of Energy and Climate Change and Department of Education before she rose to fame on Love Island in 2018.
(Image: Getty Images)
Since her Love Island days, Zara has put her energy into one of her biggest passions, making documentaries that inspire conversation and educate young people on hard-hitting issues. She has fronted five successful BBC films so far: Revenge Porn, Uncovering Rape Culture, Disordered Eating, and Gaia: A Death on Dancing Ledge. Her other broadcasting work includes presenting the entertainment show Love In The Flesh on BBC Three.
Speaking about Zara’s support, Sam said: “I watched the show when I was younger with my family and they are all so excited. My girlfriend is really happy for me, too. She is proud. We haven’t chatted too much about it in the run up as she has been doing Strictly and I haven’t wanted to make it about me.”
The new series of I’m A Celebrity is set to kick off on Sunday, November 19, at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. For more showbiz and television stories, get our newsletter here.
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