OHMYGOSSIP — Nigel Farage thought his ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ stint was “worth the gamble”.
The 59-year-old former UKIP leader has admitted he was warned against heading into the jungle for the ITV reality show, having being met with intense backlash over his casting.
Appearing on GB News on Wednesday (13.12.23), he said: “A lot of people said to me, ‘Don’t do it, it’ll be a disaster. It’ll demean you. People will never look at you seriously again’.
“I said to them all ‘Don’t be such stuffed shirts. I think it is worth the gamble and people will see who I really am, as opposed to who they think, perhaps I am.’ ”
Meanwhile, Farage has recently admitted he told ITV bosses to “go to hell” after a row over his tendency to strip off in the jungle shower.
He told The Sun newspaper: “I was told that I shouldn’t be naked. And yet the doctor said, personal hygiene really matters in the jungle, checking yourself for horrors like leeches matter.
“You’re not going to do that unless you are naked so I ignored what ITV said. And I continued to shower naked every day.
“Interestingly, many other campmates did the same. Only I got the publicity, but you know something? I couldn’t care less.
“The only fight I had in the jungle with the producers was over that.
“I had a huge row. I was told in interest of taste and in respect for the cameramen and women that I shouldn’t be doing it.
“I said, ‘Go to hell!'”
The GB News host’s reservations were proven to be correct, as the new king of the jungle Sam Thompson had woken up to find a leech in a very intimate area.
He said: “The day I did it [showered nude] it was lashing with rain. Leeches will crawl up your leg and embed themselves in the warmest part of your body.
“Sam did not shower naked and Sam did not check himself. Sam woke up one morning screaming – the leach was huge. It was on his a*** and the sleeping bag looked like a murder scene.
“So there were very good reasons. Afterwards, my other campmates did the same, four other blokes stripped naked.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Father Christmas will appear on ‘CBeebies Bedtime Story’ on Christmas Eve.
The BBC has announced a series of heartwarming guests for the festive season, and Santa Claus himself will be part of the special show.
On December 24, jolly old Saint Nick will fittingly read ‘The Night Before Christmas’ to get children excited for the big day.
The previous day, there will be multiple readers from the UK Armed Forces at bases in the UK and around the world.
They will be reading Patrice Karst’s ‘The Visible String’, with nine different members of the Armed Forces join in locations like Estonia, Cyprus, Bahrain and the HMS Prince of Wales warship.
The readers are all parents or family members who are missing being with their loved ones over Christmas.
Sergeant Shannon Bennett said in a statement: “On Christmas Day this year, there will be almost 7,000 sailors, soldiers and aviators who will miss the chance of Christmas dinner with family, or a cosy reading session with their children, because they are stationed abroad anywhere from the Falkland Islands to the Indo-Pacific.
“That’s why this special CBeebies Bedtime Stories episode will resonate so deeply with people who are serving – because while they are upholding peace and security around the world, they are still missing the simplicity of tucking their children into bed.”
On Christmas Day itself, Justin Fletcher and Dodge The Dog will join children from Manchester Hospital School, who are patients at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
He will read Julia Donaldson’s ‘The Hospital Dog’, about a brave pooch called Dot who visits children in hospital.
Ruth Sheard-Pearson at Manchester Hospital School added: “The visit from Justin and Dodge also did a brilliant job of raising the profile of reading and encouraging young people to read and celebrate stories – something we encourage all our children to do!
“It was such a special experience for the children, bringing them moments of joy in what for some of them are extremely difficult times, and is something I know they will treasure forever.”
‘CBeebies Bedtime Story’ airs daily at 6.50pm on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Stephen Fry begged ITV bosses not to dumb down the UK version of ‘Jeopardy!’
The 66-year-old former ‘QI’ host is due to front a new edition of the long running US game show on New Year’s Day, which will see him challenge contestants to win money by phrasing answers as a question, and he was adamant that its formula should not be changed for British audiences.
As quoted by the Daily Star newspaper’s Hot TV column, he said: “I was fairly insistent from the outset that we shouldn’t compromise one the standard and or dicker about with the rules and procedures, which are time-honoured and proven.
“Fortunately, ITV and the production company behind the series were in complete agreement. It’s not very different at all.
“The only real difference is that the UK version is a little longer with an extra round.”
With plenty of cash up for grabs, the ‘Blackadder’ actor emphasised that a talented contestant could walk away from the programme with a huge sum of money.
He said: “It builds and builds for as long as the champion stays on. In theory, a really brilliant champion could win hundreds of thousands of pounds or more.”
Although he is excitedly counting down the days for ‘Jeopardy!’ to begin, the comedian’s health was put at risk when he suffered a horror fall in September.
Stephen broke his pelvis, leg, and several ribs after he fell of the stage at London’s O2 arena, and the surgeon who operated on him revealed it could have been much worse.
Speaking to Ed Balls and Susanna Reid on ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’, he previously said: “It was pretty nasty. I broke my leg in two places, my pelvis in four places and a bunch of ribs, so it was really quite serious.
“I was giving this lecture. When I finished I took my bow and walked off stage not knowing that the bulk of the stage I was walking on had a six foot drop onto concrete. It was grim.
“The orthopedic surgeon made it clear that he was dealing with people who had had a fall from lesser heights, who might not walk again.
“The two things that you don’t want to hit are your skull or your spine. And I was very fortunate that I didn’t, so there was no suggestion of either cognitive impairment.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Tony Blackburn has quit BBC Radio London after four decades.
The 80-year-old broadcaster – who started at the station in 1981, having first joined the BBC in the 1960s – has revealed this weekend will be his final show.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “Hi everyone, just thought I’d let you know that after many happy years on @BBCRadioLondon I have decided to leave the station and this Sunday will be my last Soul On Sunday.
“Over the years we have had a lot of fun with some fantastic live shows for Children in Need and have played some great music.
“I will still be continuing @BBCBerkshire @BBCOxford and @BBCRadioSolent on Sunday afternoon and of course on the great
@BBCRadio2.
“This is totally my decision and thanks to the many happy years there, but time to move on. Thanks for listening.”
The former ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ winner – who won the inaugural series in 2002 – was the first DJ to air on BBC Radio 1 after its launch in 1967.
Fans hailed him as a “national treasure” following the BBC Radio London announcement.
One listener replied: “You will certainly be missed Tony, by me many many others. Wish You All The Best! x (sic)”
Another fan added: “Goodbye farewell thank you for the laughs the music and you Mr B.”
And a third person said: “Blimey! You’re a national treasure so don’t bury yourself too deep!”
At the beginning of the year, Tony – who later had to step back in the spring following his sepsis battle and a chest infection – was adamant he has no plans to retire.
He told The Lady magazine: “I’m still doing it now because I want to, not because I have to. It’s exhausting, really, to be so ambitious. But the day I don’t think I can do it properly any more I will give up.
“Keeping your brain active is really important. If you are lucky enough to enjoy your job, as I do, try to keep working. People who retire early can sometimes go to pot.
“I can understand people retiring if they don’t like their job, but the only reason I would is if I suffered from bad health.
“Until then I want to keep going as long as I can. I’m very, very lucky to be enjoying this part of my life – and I’m not under any pressure to prove myself.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Josie Gibson’s son insisted her cooking on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ “looked disgusting”.
The 38-year-old broadcaster, who won the eleventh series of ‘Big Brother’ in 2010, was caught in a culinary feud with ‘First Dates’ host Fred Sirieix during her stint on the ITV programme, and while her campmates did praise Josie for her skills, her five-year-old son Reggie was less kind.
During Wednesday’s (13.12.23) ‘I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Here! Coming Out’ special, she reunited with her son after three weeks away and asked him if her food looked nice.
Unfortunately for Josie he bluntly said it “looked disgusting”.
Josie laughed the comment off, and then reminded him that everyone in the jungle was happy with her cooking.
She said: “When I took over as camp chef, Fred didn’t like it. In the end everyone did prefer my food.
“No hard feelings Fred but when you’re the better chef, you’re the better chef!”
Although there was some tension between herself and Fred during their time on the show, Josie reaffirmed that they were still good friends.
Once she left the jungle, the broadcaster told ITV’s ‘This Morning’: “Me and Fred get on… after we had our ding dong, we have a showdown. Sam [Thompson] called it, 1, 2, 3, 4, draw. I won the draw.
“I laughed. We hugged it out. We really get on. He’s a trained chef, he didn’t think I knew what I was doing. I thought my food was amazing.”
Josie also insisted that the feud she had with Fred over cooking was “blown out of proportion.”
She added: “We’ve had some really deep meaningful conversations. We had a ding dong in the kitchen. It was a bit blown out of proportion.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Sheridan Smith and Stephen Fry got stuck in a lift just before an appearance on ‘The One Show’.
The former ‘QI’ host, 66, and 42-year-old actress were both due to join presenters Alex Jones and Ronan Keating on the sofa on Wednesday (13.12.23) evening but things didn’t exactly go to plan.
Alex told viewers: “Now then, we are having a night here because Stephen Fry and Sheridan Smith are due on this sofa.
“Obviously it’s a live programme. They are stuck in the lift. So, for the time being, we will go onto a film.”
She reassured everyone tuning in that the pair were in “good spirits”, and Ronan added: “Hopefully they’ll be here before the end of the programme.”
Thankfully, the lift was soon back in operation and the guests were only five minutes late for their slot.
Stephen joked: “Santa’s sleigh ride got a little stuck. I think the reindeer were drunk.
“Usually if I get stuck in a lift, I assume it’s my weight but this is a goods lift so I don’t know what went wrong.
“We kept our spirits high, didn’t we?”
Shiradan agreed: “We kept laughing.”
Not surprisingly, viewers absolutely loved the whole ordeal, and some thought it was ripe for an adaptation.
One person quipped: “This is the beginning of a sketch or play if ever I heard one!”
A second fan added: “Omg, The One Show just apologised to viewers that Sheridan Smith and Stephen Fry aren’t on the sofa yet because they are stuck in a lift.”
And a third viewer was “obsessed with Sheridan Smith being stuck in The One Show lift”.
‘The One Show’ airs every weeknight on BBC One at 7pm.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Dawn French was “genuinely terrified” a hippopotamus was going to try to mate with her.
The 66-year-old actress – who rose to fame after she wrote and starred in the BBC comedy sketch show ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ – feared that a hippopotamus would try to mount her when she had to get on all fours and hide behind one during her role as The Fat Lady in ‘Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban’.
During an appearance on the ‘Off Menu’ podcast, Dawn revealed she was told by the handler that the animal might “want to sniff your privates” and that it could start to “foam at the mouth with excitement”.
The handler also warned “this hippo may want to mate with you”, which left her “genuinely terrified”.
She said: “I was asked if I was happy to work with animals, and then I was told by the director that there was a hippo. I just said yes because I wanted to be in the film. Didn’t think about it until the day… when I was left in a pen with sawdust.
“He said that they were going to be bringing in a live creature. ‘Pay it some respect, stand still, do not run, did I understand?’ He then explained that the script called for a female hippo, but this was a male hippo.
“Then he said, ‘This hippo may want to sniff your privates. Do not run.’ I was wavering then, because I thought, I don’t think that’s part of the contract. When you said, ‘Do you like working with animals, I wasn’t imagining this.’ This is too much.”
“Then he said, ‘This hippo may want to mate with you, and if he does, his skin will start to foam. Be on alert, look out for that, tell me, but do not run.’ Then I thought, ‘Oh God, I’d like to run now.’”
However, once Dawn saw the size of the animal, all of her fears disappeared, because of the hippopotamus’s size.
She quipped: “It was the size of a Labrador! The word they had all neglected to use concerning the hippo was pygmy. It was a pygmy hippo.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — ‘Taskmaster’ could let fans take on “ludicrous” tasks in a new live experience.
The producers behind the Channel 4 show are considering launching a project to let viewers in on the action, but they will only look into it if more than 100,000 people sign up to the mailing list.
In a video released this week, host Greg Davies and his assistant Alex Horne said: “This is a very important message for the Taskmaster community.
“A lot of people have asked us whether we’ve ever considered doing a Taskmaster Live experience.
“So that you glorious people at home could actually take part in the same ludicrous tasks that so-called comedians do.
“To compete, to be the ultimate Taskmaster champion, could now be the time? Do you want this?
“If so, please sign up to the Taskmaster live experience mailing list. If we get 100,000 sign ups then we’ll know, and Taskmaster: The Live Experience will become a thing soon… Ish.
“So what are you waiting for? Sign up and become a hero. Your time starts now.”
There are plans to expand the series in a big way, with a new virtual reality game on the way from studio Scallywag Arcade.
Last month, Alex said in a statement: “Genuinely, this is extraordinary, brilliant and very fun.
“Also, I’ve always wanted to be a contestant on Taskmaster so this is great for me as a VR user, except that I will also have my virtual self watching my attempts and undermining my confidence so I may well regret the whole venture after I’ve had a go.”
Greg added: “The team have done an incredible job and the game is a really exciting addition to the ‘Taskmaster’ world.
“On a personal note, the creation of a virtual reality Taskmaster takes me ever closer to my ultimate goal of working without even leaving my sofa.”
The game has been created – in partnership with production company Avalon – by the new Liverpool-based indie studio, which includes staff previously at the likes of Aardman, Merge Games, Warner Bros and PlayStation.
Tasks featured in the game include smashing watermelons and tidying up rubber ducks, as well as the “most chaotic VR bath VR” has witnessed.
The title is set to launch in 2024 for Meta Quest and Steam VR users.

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — ‘EastEnders’ boss Chris Clenshaw has promised viewers will still be guessing the mystery murder victim’s identity “until the very end”.
Since February, the soap has teased a mystery surrounding The Six – Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) – which will result in the death of a male character on Christmas Day (25.12.23) and the showrunner has promised the festive episodes will feature a lot of “high drama”.
He told reporters: “I think it’s something to watch live on Christmas Day.
“And I think you’ll be kind of guessing right up until the very end…
“We have gone to quite some lengths to keep everything under wraps, but I can’t reveal what those are because then it might be a little bit too revealing.”
Chris believes it is essential audiences are offered a “spectacular” episode on Christmas Day.
He said: “I think we take for granted that we’re asking people to invest a hell of a lot of time on their Christmas Day to tune in and watch us, so you need to deliver something spectacular.
“I think you need to give them something deliberately unexpected and give them a shocking twist.
“You have to remember that we’re a show about family and community, and therefore it should definitely still feel like Christmas, and I still think it should feel relatable.
“If you look at the best ‘EastEnders’ Christmases, you think of Den and Angie or the Stacey and Max reveal, and we can all relate to those stories.”
The storyline has been planned for 18 months and Chris admitted it has taken a lot of planning.
He explained: “I think it all started over 18 months ago.
“We shot the flash-forward scene the first week back in after Christmas in January, but obviously the planning of that was months in advance, so it’s been a long time and it was really weird having meetings before last Christmas about this Christmas and making decisions that you would never have to make until a lot further down the line.
“It was small things, as we were shooting last Christmas and then we were having to make decisions on the Queen Vic’s Christmas decorations for 2023, and then we had an opportunity to change the decor from the past previous Christmas from the usual decor that they have in the Vic. It has been a long time in the planning.
“We knew that the Knights were going to take over the Vic, so we felt that Elaine would potentially want some different decorations, so all little things like that had to be thought about much further in advance than usual.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard are reportedly being lined up as the new main hosts on ‘This Morning’.
ITV bosses have been looking for a new pair of presenters to take over regular hosting duties following the departure of both Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield this year – and a new report suggests Cat and Ben are the frontrunners to take over.
A source told The Sun newspaper: “This is one of the most coveted gigs in UK television. ITV execs are determined to get it right.
“Cat really impressed when she came in, and Ben is a consummate professional and hugely popular with the housewife demographic.”
However, the insider added that Cat has yet to seal a deal with ITV to bring her onto ‘This Morning’ full time.
They explained: “Cat is the number one target to replace Holly, but negotiations are ongoing.”
The source added: “Lots of people were considered, but ultimately it’s all about chemistry. Everyone is very excited, and the sense is that Ben and Cat will be a real boost to morale on the ground.”
Ben previously worked as a stand-in presenter on ‘This Morning’ between 2005 and 2011 stepping in to cover shows for Phil when he was off, but in recent years he has been presenting on ITV’s breakfast show ‘Good Morning Britain’.
Cat was previously tipped to take over from Holly after proving popular when she guest-hosted the show for three days last month.
Holly’s departure from ‘This Morning’ in October followed the exit of her longtime co-star Phillip earlier in the year after it was revealed he had an illicit onset relationship with a younger male colleague.
It’s not yet known whether Holly will return to host ‘Dancing on Ice’ in January after previously presenting the show with Phillip, and reports suggested it’s a tough decision for her.
A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: “She absolutely loves ITV, she is loyal to them and they have been extremely loyal to her, but she’s just not sure if she can do it. “Holly doesn’t want to let anyone down. It is literally the toughest decision for her. “I mean, what do you do? It starts in a few weeks, she knows that. It’s a huge quandary.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online

OHMYGOSSIP — Katie Price got a very rude gift from her nine-year-old daughter Bunny.
The former glamour model has revealed she recently bought the youngster a bracelet with an engraving so Bunny decided she wanted to return the favour – but the bracelet she bought for her mum had the ‘F’ word etched on the inside.
Speaking on her ‘The Katie Price Show’ podcast, the telly star explained: “I shouldn’t really say what it says inside but I will. [Bunny is] so sassy. So, inside this bracelet she got me, it’s only a cheap old one but it’s the thought, inside it says ‘Keep ******* going!’ She’s nine! And [I] found that …”
Bunny recently proved her “sassy” spirit during a TikTok live session which gave fans the chance to ask Katie questions. One of them asked about Katie’s love life and Bunny read it out saying: “Hello Kate, are you single?” Bunny then look at her mum and cheekily responded: “Yes she is.”
During the podcast, Katie also opened up about the family’s Christmas traditions with the mum-of-five explaining she makes sure her youngsters open their presents in an orderly fashion.
She said: “The kids are trying to get me out of bed. But I won’t let them open any presents, normally the night before I put all their piles around in a circle.
“So then we have a tea [In the morning]. Then I’m like ‘we open one each, going round in a circle so we can see what we’ve all got
“”Tradition to me is in the morning you put the telly on. ‘The Snowman’ and all of that. Open the presents in a circle, where they’re all excited, wanna just rip everything off.
“That’s the morning and a bit of cooked breakfast.”
She went on to explain Christmas dinner can be a bit of a waste because the kids load up on sweets during the morning and aren’t hungry by the time the food is ready.
Katie added: “To be honest, by the time I’ve cooked dinner the kids aren’t hungry anyway, because they’re so busy eating sweets and whatever else I’ve bought.”

Source: VacationHunter.Online