I’m A Celebrity has officially begun as five of the contestants have completed their first trial – parachuting out of a helicopter over Australia’s Gold Coast.
Spandau Ballet guitarist, Martin Kemp, model and actress, Kelly Brook, rapper Aitch, comedian Edie Kadi and former EastEnders star Shona McGarty rejoiced in a group hug as they landed on Broadwater Beach earlier today.
After successfully jumping from individual helicopters, the group danced in a huddle on the beach as they celebrated their early achievement on the reality show.
Hosts Ant McPartlin, 49, and Declan Donelly, 50, were stood above on the headland and waved down to the latest batch of campmates following their daring feat.
Kelly, 45, who was wearing a leopard print jumpsuit and boots, appeared particularly pleased with herself as she jumped for joy once back safely on land.
Martin, 64, was wearing a navy polo top with cream chinos for his skydive, while Aitch, 25, matching blue and white striped co-ord.
Aitch, Eddie Kadi, Martin Kemp, Shona McGarty and Kelly Brook all made a dramatic arrival on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! as they landed on the beach by parachute on Thursday
Shona was snapped flying through the air in her parachute as she successfully completed her first challenge on the programme
Aitch, Eddie and Martin cheered on Shona as she landed on the beach
Hosts Declan Donnelly and Ant McPartlin watched the arrivals from the headland
Shona, 34, wore a colourful patterened co-ord while Edi, 42, kept it simple in a white T-shirt and brown trousers.
But it won’t be long before the team are dressed in the signature red and khaki jungle uniform that has become synonymous with the ITV programme.
Ant and Dec stood on a stack of yellow crates on the headland watching on but did not directly speak to the group.
Picked up by the helicopters from Surfer’s Paradise earlier in the morning, the whole ordeal for the celebrities took more than four hours to film as their helicopters were seen circling the National Park for a significant amount of time before.
The celebrities then had to complete a series of challenges in the bush, the losing three were taken away in a battered old car ITV have coined the ‘Cocko Van’.
Meanwhile while the triumphant two were taken in the ‘Getaway Car’ and treated to a glass of fizz.
The winners will be greeted in camp by comfy mattresses while the other three will have to sleep on the usual beds.
They will later be joined by the second tranche of celebs who will complete similar tasks including internet sensation Angry Ginge, 25, Ozzy Osbourne’s son, Jack, 40, Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, 49, former Lioness Alex Scott, 41, and Ruby Wax, 72.
The group looked overjoyed to be back on land as they waved and danced around
Martin, 64, was wearing a navy polo top with cream chinos for his skydive, while Aitch, 25, wore a matching blue and white striped co-ord
It was celebrations all round for the group who managed to complete their first task
It was no doubt a relief to be back on firm ground after the gruelling task
Martin looked every inch the cool customer as she arrived on the beach via parachute
Shona was sporting a printed playsuit with her harness
Ant and Dec kept a safe distance away from the landing celebrities
They were seen chatting about the experience afterwards
The smiling celebrities have a tough three weeks in store
For years it was a show that prompted debate among viewers with controversial figures such as Nigel Farage and Matt Hancock as star signings.
But last year I’m A Celebrity went for a more tame line-up such as Coleen Rooney and McFly frontman, Danny Jones, as the most famous faces after a strict ‘no politician’ rule was implemented.
It was, as a result, a year that passed with little to no drama.
But now, in what is set to be the ‘toughest’ year yet, ITV bosses have introduced new measures to ensure celebrities ‘fight more’, ‘earn their keep’ and ‘don’t sit back in the shadows’.
It can be revealed the ‘luxury item’ feature, in which loved ones send them home comforts such as pillows with their family’s faces on, has been removed so celebrities are ‘kept on their toes’.
Instead, celebrities can earn a framed picture of someone of their choice, which can be earned during a challenge.
The hosts will guide the stars through the next three weeks in camp
They waved to Ant and Dec from down on the beach
Kelly rehydrated with a bottle of water following her jump
The group’s challenge was set on the picturesque beach
ITV bosses have introduced measures to ensure celebrities ‘fight more’, ‘earn their keep’ and ‘don’t sit back in the shadows’ during the new series of I’m A Celebrity
The show’s executive producer, Olly Nash, told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s a tough and gruelling show, and there’s nothing wrong with driving that home.
‘We need to see more celebrities earning their keep, that’s the most important thing.
‘We have more celebrities taking part in the trials than we ever have before, so it’s more of a competition.
‘Last year, we had a great positive happy cast that all joined together and had a happy time. ‘This year they are going to have to fight more, earn more and play a bigger part in camp.
‘No longer can they be just sitting on the beds in the back, they are going to have to step up to the challenge and face the music.
‘And there are a few celebrities in this year’s camp that are sure to get niggled if they’re hangry or sleep deprived.’
This year a new feature referred to as the Getaway Car has been introduced at the launch show.
The first 10 celebrities are split into two groups, the first two in each group to complete a series of challenges including wading through fish guts are rewarded with a seat in the Getaway Car with a glass of fizz that will take them into camp.
The iconic jungle bridge will see plenty of action over the coming weeks as contestants get their marching orders
The classic red telephone box is also back, essential for those all important Dingo Dollar Challenges
They are then greeted by more comfortable beds in the camp with mattresses.
Meanwhile, the remaining three from each group travel in a less desirable vehicle, referred to as the ‘Coco van.’
Pythons are said to have infested the I’m A Celebrity jungle as producers admit they have seen ‘more snakes than any other year in camp than any other year in the show,’ said Mr Nash.
He added: ‘I have seen more snakes in this build phase then I ever have done before, huge great pythons almost as long as this log.
‘I have seen loads of snakes, six or seven out just in the last two weeks and that’s when there have been people here, which is rare because usually they scatter when people are building the camp.’
It comes after the Mail revealed a new rule, introduced after 25 years of the same format, that if a celebrity has been put forward for two trials in a row, they are exempt from the following public vote.
Fans are happy about this shake-up after the situation got out of control last year when Dean McCullough was voted for seven Bushtucker Trials in a row.
Sharing their thoughts on X, formerly Twitter, at the time viewers called for a ‘trial limit’ as it was ‘not funny seeing Dean do another trial, too much airtime, give others a chance, it’s killing the show.’
Bosses at the network have complied and now all the celebrities will have a chance to take part in the trials, earn stars for the camp and, in turn, win the public’s vote – but bosses are going to make it harder when it comes to day-to-day life in the camp.
For example, if a contestant wants a bath, two campmates have to cycle on a tandem bike to pump water out and there is less room for contestants to ‘sink into the shadows’.
