Paul Burrell has revealed which members of the royal family he thinks will be watching him on I’m A Celebrity South Africa.
The former royal butler, 64, is taking on the bushtucker trials once again, alongside the likes of Carol Vorderman, Phil Tufnell and Shaun Ryder for a special edition of I’m A Celebrity which was recorded in South Africa in 2022.
He previously completed the Aussie jungle in 2004, but is ready to face his fears again.
And, after Mike Tindall’s stint on I’m A Celebrity last year, he reckons members of the royal family might even be tuning in.
When asked if he thinks any royals will be watching, Paul told Metro.co.uk and other press: ‘Charles and Camilla haven’t got the time to sit down and watch the jungle – look at the timing of it! It’s smack bang in the middle of the coronation.
‘For me, it’s a double whammy because I didn’t realise it’s going to be aired over the coronation, we didn’t know what date the coronation was then.’
He then jokingly begged ITV producers to ‘please not’ show his clips during coronation night because he will be left ’embarrassed’.
Paul continued: ‘I think Zara and that lot will be watching, the younger element of the royal family will be watching.
‘Especially because Mike has been through it, and once you’ve been in it, you’re hooked.’
Mike, who became the show’s first ever royal, was joined by his wife Zara Phillips, Princess Anne’s daughter, at the end.
During his time in the jungle, not only did he provide viewers with plenty of entertainment showing off his rapping skills, he even shared a pretty intimate (but hilarious) story of Princess Anne.
Paul, who completed his cancer radiotherapy treatment earlier this month and actually credits I’m A Celebrity for ‘saving his life’ after the medical checks found his cancer early on, was filming in South Africa when Queen Elizabeth II died, aged 96.
At the time, he was given the choice to return home, but decided to stay on.
Asked if he watched the coverage when he did return from South Africa, Paul told Lorraine Kelly on Friday: ‘I did. But you know, whilst I was there in South Africa, the ITV team said, “Do you wanna go home Paul? You can go home if you want to?”
‘I said, “Listen, I’m better here. This is my sanctuary right now. If I go back home, it’ll be a circus and I’ll be sucked into that world. So let me stay here with the other celebrities, and I’ll share my grief with them.” Because it was their Queen too!’
He described the Queen as his ‘surrogate mother’, reflecting on how he joined the Palace staff at just 18.
‘I went to Buckingham Palace when I was 18 years old, she became my surrogate mother. I know that’s difficult for people to understand, but living with someone in close proximity for 11 years, you do begin to love them,’ he said.
‘And I loved the Queen. She was a wonderful, wonderful lady. For me, she influenced my life, she shaped me – along with Diana later. They made me the man I am today. I have great respect and admiration for our late Queen.’
I’m A Celebrity… South Africa starts Monday at 9pm and all week on ITV1 and ITVX.
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