I'm A Celeb stars evacuated after 'ruinous' thunderstorm rocks camp

by · Mail Online

The I’m A Celeb camp was thrown into chaos this morning when the contestants were evacuated by production staff into the Bush Telegraph during a horrendous thunderstorm.

Filming for tonight’s show was delayed by three hours as the celebs sheltered in the small confessional hut as the rain hammered during a thunder and lightning storm.

A show source told the Daily Mail: ‘Our health and safety weather contingencies kicked in and we evacuated the celebrities immediately to the Bush Telegraph until the storm passed and it was safe to return to camp.’

The rain struck at 2pm Australian time, which is 4am in the UK and lasted for around an hour. 

Celebrities, including social media star Angry Ginge, rapper Aitch, former EastEnders star Shona McGarty, Coronation Street actress Lisa Riley, and glamour model Kelly Brook, eventually emerged and spent the rest of the day drying their bedding and towels by the campfire.

There is a canopy that hangs above the camp to protect from rain, but when it becomes too powerful, the celebrities have to take shelter in the only completely sealed area, the Bush Telegraph.

Camp is operating again and several of the contestants have headed off to do a trial ahead of tonight’s episode.

The I’m A Celeb camp was thrown into chaos this morning when the contestants were evacuated by production staff into the Bush Telegraph during a horrendous thunderstorm 
The rain started at 2pm in Australian time over the Gold Coast and continued for an hour
Show producers had to evacuate the celebrities to the Bush Telegraph for three hours which has delayed filming for the day 

But the rain is beginning to become a problem for the Jungle location as Ant McPartlin, 50, slipped when presenting Saturday night’s show and nearly took a tumble as sheltered under an umbrella alongside his co-host, Declan Donnelly, 50.

This year has been relatively dry compared to last, which was the wettest year in the show’s 24-year history.

A continuous downpour of rain flooded the I'm A Celebrity jungle and threatened the safety of the contestants who had been camping there for less than a week.

Heavy tropical rain battered the camp and so rough was the weather, that trees fell down blocking the road leading up to the campsite and four-by-four vehicles can be seen battling through the rivers that have flooded.

The thunder, lightening and rain storm rolled over Australia's Gold Coast which is an hour drive from the camp, pictured is Surfer's Paradise where the celebrities stay after the show
Surfer's Paradise was struck by the thunder, lightening and rain storm for more than an hour
It comes after ITV producers have been desperately hoping for a dry year as weather can often affect the morale of the campmates who crowd into the Bush Telegraph, sometimes for hours on end, to shelter from the Australian storms (pictured IAC campmates in December 2019)

A show insider told Mail: 'The jungle camp cannot cope with this level of rain and the thing is, when it rains like this, it's not fun for anyone involved. In fact, it's miserable. It dampens the mood and ultimately ruins the show.'

​Though there is a retractable canopy 50 ft in the air above the camp, preventing the stars from getting soaked and keeping the campfire lit, it does not cover the whole of the camp.

The ITV series' longtime hosts revealed drips slide off the canopy and fall on the celebrities as they sleep.

Continuous rainfall takes a toll on the campmates' morale, as last year's food critic Grace Dent, 51, and Britney Spears's sister, Jamie-Lynn, both left the show early.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues Monday at 9pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.