Ant and Dec were forced to begin Monday night's I'm A Celebrity with 'assurances' to viewers at home over now ex contestant Grace Dent, after serious concerns were raised about her welfare a night earlier.
Given that she is known for her often very harsh putdowns on Masterchef, fans had been hoping that food critic Grace would bring some real fireworks to camp, after she signed up to do the new series of I'm A Celebrity, with insiders also claiming that ITV execs were hoping she'd be very forward with her opinions when it came to her co-stars. However, Grace had very limited airtime in her first week in the Australian jungle, and, after a promising start in the Pole Position challenge, largely faded into the background.
Rather noticeably, rather than get involved in any heated debates between other I'm A Celeb campmates, Grace decided to walk away, even fleeing camp and remarking she'd 'rather do the washing up' as Fred Siriex and Nigel Farage. Some viewers said they felt 'let down' by Grace on the show, but any feeling of frustration turned to concern on Sunday night, as she seemed completely out of sorts when Ant and Dec told her she'd be doing the next Bushtucker Trial.
READ MORE: Fred Sirieix threatens I'm A Celebrity 'rule break' as ITV step in
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Viewers were quick to express real worry for her on social media when the episode finished, as some appealed for ITV producers to step in and make sure she was alright. Less than 12 hours later, many people back in the UK woke up to the news that Grace had left I'm A Celebrity on 'medical grounds' as ITV wished her well in a statement released just after 8am.
Grace's exit was the first thing mentioned by Ant and Dec as they took to air at 9pm on Monday night, with Ant beginning proceedings by saying: "Big news from the jungle. Sadly, Grace Dent has left the camp for medicals reasons, but she's doing fine and we all send her our best, as Dec added: "We certainly do."
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After Danielle Harold replaced Grace in the Down The Tubes trial, the camp were informed of Grace's exit in a letter sent by ITV and written by Grace herself. It read: ""My Dear campmates, I’m so sorry to let you down. I have left the camp for medical reasons. My heart is broken, I have loved and enjoyed getting to know you all."
Grace continued: "You’ve held me up and it’s been a pleasure being your friend through this experience. Leaving you all at this stage will be one of the saddest things in my life. I love you all. Your friend, Miss Grace Dent.”
