She has grown up onscreen after joining the cast of EastEnders aged nine.
But Shona McGarty has revealed that behind the scenes she’s been enduring a ‘horrible’ five year battle with anxiety and depression, for which she is taking medication.
Explaining how it prompted her to join this year’s I’m A Celebrity, Shona, 34, told Daily Mail: ‘My anxiety and my depression has been pretty bad over the last, I’d say, at least four or five years.
‘That has stopped me from doing a lot of things I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve come to a point in my life where I don’t want to let the anxiety win.’
Shona, who recently broke off her engagement to musician David Bracken because ‘they wanted different things’ is joining the likes of Martin Kemp and Kelly Brook Down Under.
On signing up to ITV’s flagship reality show, she said: ‘This is a new chapter for me. This is a chance for not just the public to get to know me, but for me to get to know me again.’
I’m A Celeb’s Shona McGarty opened up about her ‘horrible’ five-year battle with anxiety and depression as she shared fears it will impact her Jungle stint
On signing up to ITV ’s flagship reality show, she said: ‘This is a new chapter for me. This is a chance for not just the public to get to know me, but for me to get to know me again’
Shona is joining the likes of Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp, comedian Edi Kaddi, model Kelly Brook and rapper Aitch Down Under as she was pictured with them on the beach
Shona – who left EastEnders last year – added: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever done anything where I could get to be myself, job-wise.
‘So this is really new for me. And I don’t know how it’s going to go. It’s just a chance for people to get to know me away from a character that they’ve known for so many years.
‘But I’m scared that the anxiety might rear its ugly head.’
The Essex-born actress joined the cast of EastEnders in 2008 and played the beloved character, Whitney, until she left the show last year.
Reflecting on how growing up as a child star affected her mental health, she said: ‘Being in an industry at such a young age, when people ask you, “Are you OK?”, you have to say you’re fine.
‘That was the way I was taught. You just say, ‘fine’ and you fake it till you make it kind of thing.
‘I think the public just expects you to be okay and that you must be a very happy person, very confident all the time because you’re an actress and that’s what you do.’
Shona spoke highly of the BBC for protecting her and putting measures in place to protect her mental health growing up under its care.
But she admitted: ‘There is always that thing in the back of your head where you think, “Well, it’s unprofessional of me to say that I’m not doing OK”.
‘Or maybe you might lose your job or get killed off.’
Shona, who recently broke off her engagement to musician David Bracken (pictured) because ‘they wanted different things’ is going to give it her all in the Jungle
Ahead of I’m A Celebrity’s launch show on Sunday, AngryGinge, Ruby Wax, Lisa Riley, Jack Osbourne and Alex Scott were spotted completing their first trial.
Greeted by the ITV show’s longtime hosts, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, the group met at the luxury private retreat, Rivermead Estate, to endure their first taste of I’m A Celeb life.
Contestants were made to put a glass bowl over their head with snakes inside to fight for a seat in the luxury Getaway Car that will ensure them comfortable beds in camp.
The three losing celebrities found themselves in the Coco Van, a disgusting bus filled with fish guts driven by Kiosk Kev, and will not get camp privileges when they arrive.
Despite completing the trials that determine their place in camp, they will not actually enter the Jungle until Saturday.
According to eyewitnesses, the trial was scuppered by heavy rain and thunderstorms that have rolled in over Australia’s Gold Coast, and the filming process took several hours.
It comes after the remaining five contestants, Spandau Ballet guitarist, Martin Kemp, model and actress, Kelly Brook, rapper Aitch, comedian Eddie Kadi and former EastEnders star Shona , parachuted down to a beach from helicopters for their trial yesterday.
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 and Dec were stood above on the headland and waved down to the latest batch of campmates following their daring feat.
As I’m A Celebrity gears up for its launch on Sunday, Jack, Alex, Lisa, Ruby and AngryGinge have been spotted completing their first trial
Greeted by the ITV show’s longtime hosts, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, the group met at the luxury private retreat, Rivermead Estate, to endure their first taste of I’m A Celeb life
It comes just the day after Aitch, Eddie, Martin, Shona as well as Kelly all made a dramatic arrival on the show as they landed on the beach by parachute
As the new campmates made their arrival, Ant and Dec stood a safe distance away on a stack of yellow crates on the headland – 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.
I’m A Celebrity starts on Sunday but the weather on the Gold Coast is concerning as rain is forecast for the next three days, ensuring the celebrities will be greeted by a wet camp.
For years, I’m A Celebrity 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’.
The iconic jungle bridge will see plenty of action over the coming weeks as contestants get their marching orders
Instead, celebrities can earn a framed picture of someone of their choice, which can be earned during a challenge.
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 ten 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.
They are then greeted by more comfortable beds in the camp with mattresses.
The classic red telephone box is also back, essential for those all important Dingo Dollar Challenges
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 Daily 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 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.
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I’m A Celebrity launches on Sunday at 9pm on ITV and ITVX
