Grace Dent's whirlwind I'm A Celebrity transformation as bosses 'wanted her out'
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! has been back on screens for just two weeks but in that time exiting star Grace Dent underwent a shocking transformation that saw her transform from a confident food critic to a frail and broken shadow of herself.
The 50-year-old columnist was all smiles just 13 days ago when she touched down in Australia to begin her I’m A Celeb journey. But now, two weeks on, she looked exhausted, washed out, and demoralised by her experience with fans becoming increasingly concerned by what they were seeing on screen.
Grace was one of the original ten celebrities to end the I’m A Celeb camp in the middle of the month - and was one of the most enthusiastic stars on the show. The critic gamely threw herself into the gruelling challenges, and proudly cheered on her co-stars when they faced their own daunting trials.
But in the second week of the show, Grace - along with Josie Gibson, Marvin Humes, Nick Pickard, Danielle Harold, Tony Belle and Nigel Farage - was taken out of the main camp and forced to live in ‘Snake Rock’ where they were given basic rations and forced to sleep on the floor. The experience appeared to take a toll on Grace as her enthusiasm drained and she looked more and more frail as the days drew on.
Grace Dent was glowing before she entered the I'm A Celeb jungle... (Tim Merry/Mirror Express)
...but looked broken as she prepared to fly home (Tim Merry/Mirror Express)During scenes that aired on Sunday night, fans expressed concern as Grace looked withdrawn and devastated by the news she would be forced to endure another trial. Show bosses made the decision soon after to allow the critic to leave the series - citing medical concerns.
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An ITV spokesperson said: "Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds. She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike." While one of Grace’s friends said: "She is heading back to London today. She is tired and she just wants to get home."
A source close to the show even suggested Grace had been forced to leave after bosses became worried about a change in her demeanour. As Ant and Dec announced she would be facing the next trial, a defeated Grace could barely lift her head to respond - looking miles away from how she started her journey in camp taking on a 100m high walk.
Body language expert Judi James explained that there were signs Grace’s experience in the jungle had completely demoralised her. She told Paddy Power Games: “Watching Grace’s body language gradually break down and finally go on strike altogether was a concerning, worrying sight. When she was told she’d been voted by the viewers for the next challenge she sat rigidly upright, staring ahead with a blank eye expression and with a total lack of facial movement apart from an accelerated blink rate that suggested inner turmoil.
Grace enjoyed luxury meals as part of her job as a food critic before flying down under (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The food critic seemed to be demoralised by her experience in the jungle (ITV)“Her mouth was clamped and turned down at the corners in a mask of misery and her chin was raised, but not in any suggestion of defiance. This total body and facial masking looked like a worrying response. It didn’t suggest stoicism, it hinted at a complete shut-down. This stone-faced response would scare the other campmates too because it’s as though she stopped communicating.”
Meanwhile, it was clear to fans that Grace had lost considerable weight during her time in the jungle. She arrived in Australia in mid-November wearing an all-black ensemble and flashing a beaming smile as she prepared to begin her time on the show.
But as she prepared to fly home, wearing a similar black vest top, it was clear for all to see just how much weight she had lost. While fellow travellers in Brisbane Airport noticed how exhausted the celebrity looked.
A show source said she had been left burnt out by her time in the jungle. They explained to the Mirror: “she is feeling like s**t and just wants to get on the plane and sleep.”
Before she had entered the jungle, Grace had explained she was worried she would be left hungry during her experience - as she is so used to dining out at top restaurants almost every night of the week thanks to her job as a professional reviewer. She said in a pre-entry interview: "I am especially dreading being really hungry because I tend to eat four or five posh meals out a week because I am a restaurant critic. I know they are going to give me an eating trial, and I am dreading putting even worse things in my mouth than I have in the past in fancy restaurants."
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