Grace Dent has spoken out publicly for the first time since being forced to leave the current series of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! on medical grounds.
On Monday, it was revealed that the journalist and MasterChef star had left camp and would not be returning, with Jamie Lynn Spears following suit just days later.
She has now shared an Instagram post reflecting on her time in the jungle, and thanking her supporters for “the outpouring of love I’ve received since I was removed on Monday”.
“I am overwhelmingly sad right now, but determined to keep alive in my heart the huge personal breakthroughs I made over the weeks,” Grace wrote.
“I spent 15 days without a phone or any contact with loved ones, living much of the time outdoors in a rainforest in very wet weather. It gave me a short, sharp glimpse into the pain some folk worldwide endure. Normal life, forever, will always feel beautiful.
“Until now, I had no idea I could find a mental space where I could calmly climb down the side of a skyscraper and then slide out on a pole, unlocking stars, as the cars below on the street felt the size of ants.”
Sharing a rather graphic memory from one of her Bushtucker Trials, she continued: “I had no idea it was possible to be shown an American football helmet and be informed I was shortly to be locked in at the neck and filled to the eyebrows with cockroaches, and for me to think ‘OK this is doable, the trick is to breathe’.
“For as long as I live, I shall never forget the cockroach that entered my ear canal and the sound of its little feet creeping closer down to my brain. It took us two goes to lure him out. Sat on the grass behind the ‘Scarena’ he finally washed up.”
Grace concluded: “I hope I gave you all a smile. I didn’t go out as I planned or I wanted, but I did what I could, and I did it in a siren red gel manicure without chipping a nail. I didn’t cry when I took off my bra to find a family of mealworms living in the right cup. At some level, this *must* be an achievement.
“My plan is to recover… and when the adrenaline finally ebbs away, to make some serious plans for dinner. Three courses, extra potatoes, definitely pudding. I think I deserve it. I love you all and miss my jungle crew.”
Grace’s departure was announced to her campmates in an emotional letter, which read: “My dear campmates, I’m so sorry to let you down. I have left the camp for medical reasons,” the statement read.
“My heart is broken, I have loved and enjoyed getting to know you all. 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.”
Prior to her exit, some viewers had been expressing their concerns for Grace, as she appeared to be struggling with life in the camp a week into the series.
Before entering the jungle, Grace admitted: “Everything is filling me with a real sense of dread, but 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! I think I will be writing very stiff columns about the jungle food when I come out!”
Grace also shared that she made the decision to sign up for I’m A Celebrity after a difficult few years in her personal life.
She explained: “My dad had dementia, I cared for him and I lost him. Mum had cancer and I lost her. I think that this has made me very strong and resilient. This is going to be a big challenge and now I am older, life is for living and it’s one of the reasons why I said yes.”