Richard Madeley rails against I’m A Celeb stars who ‘start wailing and moaning’

Richard Madeley has railed against celebrities who “start wailing and moaning” while competing on I’m A Celebrity but admitted he will miss wife Judy Finnigan when he is in the show on their 35th wedding anniversary.

The TV presenter, best-known for hosting This Morning alongside Finnigan, is one of the 10 famous faces who will brave the cold and rain as the show returns to Gwrych Castle near Abergele in North Wales.

Madeley will be joined by fellow celebrities including journalist Louise Minchin, former Strictly judge Dame Arlene Phillips, comedian Matty Lee and Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge in the Welsh castle.

Madeley said: “I love watching I’m a Celebrity, Judy and I both adore the show, so interesting and funny.

“But when I watch it, and occasionally from time to time, I won’t name any names, you see a ‘celebrity’ who clearly doesn’t want to be there and they get themselves into a terrible state and they start wailing and moaning and they’re moaning about the hunger and moaning about the trial, and you go ‘well what the f*** did you go in for’? Surely you understand what this programme was.”

The 65-year-old added: “I’m sure they’ll be nobody there this time like that but I can never understand celebrities who from the moment they arrive start complaining because it’s meant to be a challenge.”

The veteran presenter revealed his biggest worry on the show will be any trial involving heights as it is one of his major fears.

However, he said he almost wants there to be a challenge involving a great height so he can “face it down” and say to himself: “I did that… I didn’t back out of a challenge… I confronted it.”

Madeley also admitted he will miss his wife while competing on the show, revealing this is the longest time the pair will have spent apart from each other.

He said: “I’ll miss her a huge amount. I spend every day of my life with her, I’m working with her or in the house, so I’m already feeling strangely kind of dislocated. She’s my right arm, and she’s not here.”

The couple, who had their own chat show titled Richard And Judy for many years, have been married since 1986 and are due to celebrate their 35th anniversary on November 21, the day the new series starts.

Madeley said he gave Finnigan an anniversary present before he left for Wales but was not allowed to bring in anything from her – but said the pair will make up for it with a holiday after the show.

The presenter joked that his wife “wasn’t exactly doing back handsprings of delight” when he posed the idea of joining the series but said she believed it would bring him “pleasure” and “stimulation” and agreed he should go for it.

The flagship series is returning to Wales for a second year due to ongoing coronavirus travel restrictions, preventing filming at its usual location of the Australian jungle.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! starts on Sunday November 21 at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.