Grace Dent has insisted that walking away from I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! was not a decision she made lightly.
Last month, the journalist and MasterChef regular was forced to leave the jungle on medical grounds, later claiming in a follow-up Instagram post that she’d been “removed” from camp.
With the series now over, ITV is set to air the one-off special I’m A Celebrity… Coming Out on Wednesday evening, during which Grace reflects on her exit.
“Leaving my campmates and the girls will be the greatest regret of my life,” she says.
After leaving I’m A Celebrity, Grace shared an emotional message with the remaining members of the team, telling them she was “so sorry to let you down”.
“My heart is broken, I have loved and enjoyed getting to know you all,” she wrote. “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.”
In a follow-up Instagram post, Grace said she was “overwhelmingly sad right now, but determined to keep alive in my heart the huge personal breakthroughs I made over the weeks”.
Before entering the jungle, Grace shared that she made the decision to sign up for I’m A Celebrity after a difficult few years in her personal life.
“My dad had dementia, I cared for him and I lost him,” Grace explained. “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.”
I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!... Coming Out airs on Wednesday night at 9pm on ITV1.