‘I am overwhelmingly sad right now’: Grace has spoken out about quitting I’m A Celeb 2023

Grace Dent has finally spoken out about quitting the I’m A Celeb 2023 jungle. Earlier this week it was confirmed the food critic had left the show on medical grounds, following a string of trials.

In a statement at the time, ITV said: “Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds. She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike.” It was then said Grace felt the pressure of the show had got too much, and requested to leave.

Now, in a lengthy Instagram post, she has detailed more about her experience. Grace said she is “overwhelmingly sad” and she “didn’t go out as I planned or I wanted.”

She reflected on how she had “no idea” of what the trials would truly be like, and recalled the moment a “cockroach entered my ear canal” and she heard “the sound of its little feet creeping closer down to my brain.” She has said she now has plans to “recover” and said she already misses her fellow campmates.

The full post reads: “Dear friends. Thank you 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. I spent 15 days without a phone or any contact with loved ones, living much of the time outdoors in a rain forest 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 sky scraper and then slide out on a pole, unlocking stars, as the cars below on the street felt the size of ants. 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.

“The jungle showed me how quickly I could become blasé about sleeping with hungry rats, noisy toads, moths and Huntsman spiders. It taught me that when you have to sleep close to the enemy the trick is to stay calm, have empathy and that screaming achieves nothing but wasted calories. The jungle showed me that I am physically stronger than I thought; I can carry a lot of logs and water up hill, build fire and eat hare innards at dawn for breakfast.

“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. Miss Grace Dent.”

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