are “the loveliest boys you could meet” according to two time contestant Gillian McKeith.
The columnist got to know the Geordie duo during her two stints on the show twice – first in 2010, when her fainting antics took the UK by storm – and again in 2023 for the All Stars version of the show in South Africa, and had nothing but praise for them.
“Ant and Dec are totally down to earth, very likeable, chatty, friendly. They are truly the loveliest boys you could meet; not affected by fame,” she said.
“However, I think I developed an allergic reaction to the two of them from my jungle days. Every time I would see them in the jungle, it was to tell me I would be doing yet another dreaded trial,” she joked.
“I associate them with delivering bad news like: ‘Gillian it might be you. Gillian it IS you!!’ Their presence always meant nasty news for me: I was immediately filled with fear every time I saw them. My body learned to react in a stressed- out manner,” she recalled.
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Ant and Dec have hosted I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here since the beginning (Image: ITV)
“I got so nervous and shaky…it was like an automatic reactive occurrence. They would show up all smiles and I all I could think was, ‘Oh No, what horrendous horror do they have in store for me this time?’
“It was like a Pavlov response which continues,” she admitted.
“So even when I see them today, my body goes into alarmist mode for a few minutes from all the recall.
“I see them and my stomach drops. It is a shame as I do really like them,” Gillian lamented.
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Gillian McKeith appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2010 and again in 2023 on the All Stars show (Image: ITV)
Gillian also offered an insight into how much interaction contestants really have with the duo, who have hosted the show since it began.
“The crew after party at the end of the show is where you get to interact with Ant and Dec outside of the filming process,” she revealed.
“During filming for the show, there is only conversation about the trial instructions; that is it. You do not have any other interaction with them at all.
“Of course, during my first appearance on , I got to know them both quite well as I had so many trials. Decreally tried to encourage my efforts. He was rooting for me to do well,” she recollected.