I’m Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! has long been one of the biggest shows on TV and winning can lead to a treasure trove of lucrative deals and new opportunities.
It’s expected that the King or Queen of the Jungle – or Castle now the show has moved to Wales – will become an even bigger star than they were before.
It can be one of the few things that keeps the celebs going as they are faced with nightmarish tasks and gruesome eating challenges.
As well as the joy of being reunited with their loved ones, the winner is likely to emerge to see a series of money-spinning deals on the table waiting for their signature.
However, as well all the incredible opportunites that come their way, the winners often find that life as a former Jungle King or Queen isn’t quite as smooth as they’d hoped.
As I’m A Celebrity prepares to return for the 2020 in a whole new location with a new line-up of stars, we take a look back at our previous winners and see what happened after they left the jungle.
2002 – Tony Blackburn
(Image: Rex Features)
I’m A Celebrity made its debut on ITV back in 2002 with the first batch of celebrities who had no idea what was in store for them.
Tony jetted to Australia along with an eclectic mix of famous faces including socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Darren Day, Uri Geller and Christine Hamilton.
The stars faced the first Bushtucker Trials which set the bar for the gruesome tasks in years to come, from big showers t being buried alive.
Radio DJ Tony came out on top and after leaving he continued his broadcasting career which went from strength to strength.
However, in 2016, he took an eight-month hiatus from the BBC. He later returned to the Beeb and remains a regular on BBC Radio TWO.
2003 – Phil Tufnell
(Image: Rex)
Cricketer Phil retired from the game shortly before he was announced as a contestant on the second series of the show.
He won over viewers with his humour and charm and went on to become a TV regular after being crowned King of the Jungle.
Phil took over as a team captain on They Think It’s All Over in 2005 before landing a role on the BBC’s A Question Of Sport quiz.
He went on to appear in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, making it to week nine, and on Channel 4’s The Jump. He continues to work on the small screen.
2004 – Kerry Katona
(Image: rex features)
IAC viewers were in for a treat in 2004 as ITV put on two series in one year. The first aired in January/February and was won by former Atomic Kitten star Kerry.
After leaving the jungle, she became one of the most in-demand faces on TV, but her personal life was crumbling.
Just months after winning the show, Kerry split from her husband Brian McFadden, the father of her two daughters, in September that year.
The break-up left Kerry devastated but she ploughed ahead with her career, landing her own ITV reality show My Fair Kerry, which spawned a series of spin-offs.
She became a reality TV show queen with the cameras documenting her every move, including her divorce and her later marriage to Mark Croft.
However, Kerry was struggling with her personal demons and battled drug and alcohol problems as well as being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and being declared bankrupt.
Speaking about her drug problems, which she beat after seceral stints in rehab, Kerry told the Mirror: “It wasn’t so much that I was an addict, more that I binged.
“It got to the point I was so lonely, so empty. Cocaine was my best friend. It was always there for me when I was down.
“When I was feeling worthless it gave me that self love and confidence. But it turned out to be a liar.
“I’m not tempted to go down that route any more. I don’t even drink at home – I’ve got to do the school run.”
Her marriage to Croft gave her two more children, Max and Heidi, before it ended in divorce. She went on to wed husband number three, George Kay, father of her daughter DJ, but they divorced in 2015.
Kay died in July 2019 after suffering a drug overdose.
Kerry got her life back on track and remains a regular on TV, she also writes a magazine column and has a popular social media presence.
2004 – Joe Pasquale
(Image: Daily Mirror)
IAC returned for a second stint in the second half of 2004, and again it was a star-studded line-up.
Joe was in the jungle with famous faces including former royal butler Paul Burrell, Loose Women’s Janet Street Porter, Vic Reeves, All Saints star Natalie Appleton and Brian Harvey.
He saw off all the competition to take the crown and went on to bigger and better things after leaving.
He continued his comedy tours and returned to TV with a stint on Dancing On Ice in 2013 and returned a year later for the show’s all stars series.
2005 – Carol Thatcher
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Daughter of former PM Margaret Thatcher, Carol was a journalist and author before joining the show.
She won over viewers to take the jungle title after being seen eating bugs and kangaroo testicles on screen.
After emerging from the jungle camp, Carol went on to appear on Most Haunted and as a regular on The One Show.
However, in 2009 she was caught up a storm of controversy and dropped from the series after referring to a professional tennis player as a “golliwog”.
The remark was made in a private conversation off-camera in front of show host Adrian Chiles and comedian Jo Brand.
Afterwards, a BBC spokesperson confirmed Carol would no longer be working on The One Show.
A rep for Carol said: “There has been a massive breach of trust as far as she is concerned.
“This was a private conversation, none of which has been verified by the BBC.
“Carol has given the BBC an apology and as far as we are concerned we have had no apology back over this breach of confidentiality.
“Carol has been an incredibly loyal servant to The One Show and they have paid her back very shabbily.”
She went on to release a book about growing up as the PM’s daughter and recounting her mother’s battle with dementia.
Margaret Thatcher died in 2013.
2006 – Matt Willis
(Image: Rex Features)
Busted star Matt joined another stellar line-up in the jungle, alongside Myleene Klass with her famous white bikini, Jason Donovan, David Gest and Dean Gaffney.
He already left the band and enjoyed a successful solo career before joining the show, and after winning, Matt was turning his attention to TV.
Matt returned to the jungle the following year to present the spin-off show, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Now!, which became I’m a Celebrity: Extra Camp.
He hosted it alongside his then girlfriend Emma Griffiths, who he married the following year.
They only hosted one series of the spin-off, and Matt continued with various TV jobs before trying his hand at acting.
He landed a role in the 2014 revival of Birds of a Feather and also had a brief part as Luke Riley – Stacey Branning’s boyfriend – in EastEnders.
Matt has since appeared on stage in shows such as Wicked, Flashdance: The Musical and Footloose.
2007 – Christopher Biggins
(Image: Nigel Wright / Rex Features)
Actor Christopher Biggins, best known for roles in shows like Upstairs, Downstairs and Porridge, tackled the jungle in 2007.
He triumphed over co-stars including Janice Dickinson and Gemma Atkinson to take the title and continued popping up on TV afterwards with slots on Celebrity Come Dine With Me, Psychoville and Celebrity MasterChef.
His next big project landed in 2016 when he was cast in Celebrity Big Brother.
However, the show ended in disaster for Biggins as he was booted off by producers on day nine.
Telly bosses removed him over a series of “offensive” outbursts which weren’t shown on camera.
Speaking about his career to the Mirror, Biggins admitted being booted from Big Brother was a low.
He said: “I’ve had a fantastic career. The only lowlight was when I was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother. But I soon got over that and I’m now much more contented and happy than ever.”
2008 – Joe Swash
(Image: Brian Cassey / Rex Features)
Former EastEnders star Joe was the cheeky chappy of the camp and he was crowned King of the Jungle in the eighth series.
After winning, he returned to the jungle every year for nearly a decade hosting the spin-off show that became Extra Camp.
He co-hosted from from 2009 until 2018 working with stars including Caroline Flack and Stacey Solomon, who went on to become his girlfriend.
Joe has continued to be a regular on TV, and won Dancing On Ice at the start of 2020.
2009 – Gino D’Acampo
Celebrity chef Gino may have wolfed down some unsavoury bits and pieces on the show, but his cooking career continued to flourish afterwards.
He continued hosting lunchtime TV show Let’s Do Lunch With Gino and Mel until 2014 and also launched his own chain of restaurants.
Gina went on to join Celebrity Juice and become the resident chef on This Morning.
2010 – Stacey Solomon
(Image: Rex Features)
Stacey shot to fame on The X Factor and spent her first few years in the spot light chasing her dreams of pop stardom.
That all changed after she was crowned Queen of the Jungle and Stacey’s career as given a huge new boost.
She landed a lucrative deal as the face of Iceland, and started landing more and more TV roles including a stint on The Jump and Celebrity Juice.
By 2016, she’d landed a plumb job on the panel of Loose Women and as a host of IAC spin off Extra Camp, which her boyfriend Joe Swash.
She only hosted one series, but she’s still with Joe – and they now have a baby son together, Rex.
Stacey hasn’t released any music since 2016, and has since focused on her TV presenting gigs and her Instagram following.
She’s won over millions of fans with her handy cleaning hints and her family-focused posts.
2011 – Dougie Poynter
McFly star won the show in 2011, triumphing over a cast that included Mark Wright, Pat Sharp, Sinitta and Freddie Starr.
He was still flying high with the band at the time, and they brought out a greatest hits album and book shortly after his appearance on IAC.
Two years later they joined up with Busted – and fellow IAC winner Matt Willis – to form supergroup McBusted.
He later joined rock group A and helped his bandmate Tom Fletcher write a series of children’s book.
2012 – Charlie Brooks
(Image: Rex)
EastEnders star Charlie was best known for playing evil Janine Butcher on the BBC soap, but IAC gave her a chance to shine as herself.
She romped to victory and ended up going back to EastEnders for two more stints as Janine.
Charlie has continued acting, appearing on stage and screen in other roles over the last few years.
2013 – Kian Egan
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The Westlife star shot to fame with the Irish pop group, but they split a year before he went into the jungle.
It turned into a six-year gap in which the members did their own thing, with Kian winning the hearts’ of the nation on IAC in 2013.
After winning the crown, Kian launched a solo career and started a family with his wife Jodi Albert.
The pair are now parents to three children and Kian has since reunited with Westlife.
2014 – Carl ‘Foggy’ Fogarty
(Image: Rex)
Former motorcycle racer Carl won the title in 2014 after scoffing two fried tarantulas, three live cockroaches and an ostrich anus during his stint on the show.
Apart from a handful over TV appearance over the years, Carl has focused on charity work.
2015 – Vicky Pattison
Vicky was best known for her rowdy antics on Geordie Shore and Ex ON The Beach before she landed a slot in the jungle.
After becoming queen, she carved out a new career in TV with slots on Loose Women and This Morning, alongside her former IAC co-star Ferne McCann.
She also hosted Exyta Camp, and returned to the jungle herself in 2018 to take part in the Australian version of the show.
Vicky is still a regular on TV and on social media.
2016 – Scarlett Moffatt
She was already a well-loved TV star thanks to her stint on Gogglebox, but winning IAC propelled Scarlett to new heights.
All her TV dreams came true as she was able to land gigs including a co-presenter on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway alongside the IAC hosts.
She revived 1990s TV show Streetmate, released her own book and work out DVD and been a backstage presenter at the National TV Awards.
2017 – Georgia Toffolo
Georgia Toffolo, known as Toff, was known to many from her role on reality show Made In Chelsea.
After winning IAC, she became a regular on This Morning but continued to make appearances in the reality show that made her name.
She continues to pop up on TV on shows such as Celebrity Gogglebox and Celebrity Hunted.
2018 – Harry Redknapp
(Image: Tim Merry)
Football legend Harry became one of the show’s best-loved stars, with his gushing stories about his wife Sandra and dreams of his favourite pudding – jam roly poly.
Since winning the show, Harry has continued to make TV appearances and landed a series of lucrative advertising deals.
He’s fronted commercials for brands including Go Daddy, BetVictor and McDonald’s.
2019 – Jacqueline Jossa
(Image: ITV/REX)
After leaving EastEnders, Jac earned herself a new legion of fans with her appearance on IAC.
Her stint was blighted by drama as he husband Dan Osborne had been accused of cheating on her and she emerged to a media storm after her win.
However, Jac took everything in her stride, putting on a united front with her husband and signing a number of big money deals.
She’s now the face of In The Style, as well as other brands she promotes on her Instagram page to her millions of followers.
Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/im-celebrity-winners-now-bankruptcy-22924069