Hopes to see three-time champion jockey Frankie Dettori win I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! were dashed when the charismatic horseman became the first camp-mate to be voted out of the ITV reality show last night (3 December).
Twelve days after entering the jungle, Frankie was told by hosts Ant and Dec that he and fellow camp-mate Nella Rose had received the fewest votes from the public and one of them would therefore be going home. The dual Derby-winning jockey yelled “Yes” when Ant announced his name as the first camp-mate to be voted off, before hugging his camp-mates goodbye.
“I’m going to be sat watching you all!” he told them. “Imagine the breakfast I’m going to have.”
Frankie Dettori on I’m A Celebrity: ‘It’s been surreal, what an adventure’
Frankie said he enjoyed his time in I’m A Celebrity, where he endured tasks such as coming face to face with cockroaches, tasting pigs’ testicles and he had two run-ins with his greatest fear, snakes. One slithered up his shorts during the confines of a bushtucker trial and he almost stepped on another while fetching water on his final morning in the Australian camp.
“It’s been surreal, what an adventure,” said Frankie Dettori after leaving the I’m A Celebrity jungle. “Yesterday really hit me when we got the letters from home – you forget there’s a world outside and people are watching you.
“It’s been a fantastic experience, I’ve challenged myself and it’s been tough, but rewarding.”
Frankie said his emotions had been up and down during his time in I’m A Celebrity.
“I’ve been dieting for 30 years, but this takes it to another level,” said Frankie. “The heat, the fatigue of the jungle, you just need some fuel in your stomach or you feel your body slowing down and shutting off. Even just a handful of rice could put us back up. It’s been challenging, but what a fantastic camp, they were all incredible.
“I’m disappointed to be voted out first, but I’m also very happy because I did nearly two weeks in the jungle and I beat my fears of enclosed spaces and snakes all in the same task and I’ve met some wonderful people.”
Frankie, who will return to the racetrack as he starts a new chapter of his three decade-long career in USA, also said that sharing life stories with his camp-mates was another highlight of his stay in the I’m A Celebrity camp.
“I think Sam [Thompson, from Made In Chelsea] will win,” he announced before departing with a glass of champagne and reuniting with wife Catherine for a return to some home comforts.
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