All the former I'm A Celeb contestants that have died since appearing on the show
Topics: Health, Covid-19, Reality TV, Im A Celebrity, ITV
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Health, Covid-19, Reality TV, Im A Celebrity, ITV
Since the beginning of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2002, many famous faces have tried their hand at braving the Australian jungle.
The ITV show, which focuses on bringing unlikely celebrities together to go through some disgusting trials, has been a fan-favourite since it first aired - and it's given us some iconic TV moments.
Now 24 seasons on, I'm A Celeb has seen many contestants come and go, but there are some who appeared in the jungle that have since sadly passed away.
Annabel Giles appeared on I’m A Celeb in 2013, and was a presenter for the ITV show Post Frocks and New Trousers.
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In July 2023, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died months later at age 64.
According to a statement made posted to Instagram by her family, Giles passed away at Martlets Hospice in Hove.
"In July, Mum was diagnosed with a stage 4 Glioblastoma, a fast-growing and highly aggressive malignant brain tumour," the post from her children, Molly and Tedd, read.
"In the four months that followed, she displayed remarkable resilience and strength, despite undergoing brain surgery and countless radiotherapies.
"In her final weeks, she was passionate about raising awareness for Glioblastoma, embodying her lifelong commitment to helping others."
Bobby Ball was a comedian, who joined the camp in 2005 alongside Sid Owen and Carol Thatcher.
His time on the show was certainly memorable, as many viewers will remember the time he donned a pink catsuit as part of a impromptu fashion show.
Bobby came in fifth place, with Thatcher taking the crown as Queen of The Jungle.
He died in 2020 from Covid-19 complications when he was 76 years old, with his manager confirming his passing, as per the BBC.
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was actually part of the cast for the first ever season of the jungle show in 2002, and she came so close to being crowned Queen of the Jungle, but finished in second place.
In 2017, she passed away at the age of 45 after suffering from peritonitis and a perforated ulcer, according to her family.
In a statement as per The Guardian, her family said she died peacefully in her sleep, adding it had been a ' source of great comfort to know how loved she was by so many people'.
David Gest was an American film producer, who'd finished fourth place in his 2006 stint on the show. He'd also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, where Tiffany Pollard mistakenly believed he was dead after Angie Bowie revealed the passing of her ex-husband, David Bowie.
Gest died in 2016 at age 62 at a hotel in London, according to his friend, with his autopsy results revealing that he'd passed as a result of a stroke.
At the time of his death, Dean Gaffney, who'd appeared on the show with him, said: "Never have I lost a best friend before and this pain hurts harder than anything I've ever experienced.
"RIP David Gest, I love you brother."
Eric Bristow was a darts world champion who'd joined the jungle in 2012, just missing his spot at the top in the final three.
He died from a heart attack at age 60 in 2018 while at Liverpool's Echo Arena. His death was later confirmed by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), as per The Guardian.
At the time, fellow darts player, Bobby George, shared that he'd seen Bristow just hours before his death.
He said to BBC Radio 2: "In the afternoon, I was doing a show at a pub opposite the Premier League (darts) building, and he just came in, said, 'Hello' and had a pint, then said, 'See ya', I said, 'See ya' because I was working... he went across the road, and two-and-a-half hours later, he was gone."
Freddie Starr entered the jungle for the eleventh series of I'm A Celeb in 2011, however, he had to pull out of the show due to health issues, finishing in 13th place.
The comedian passed away in 2019 in his Spanish home in Costa Del Sol, where he was reportedly found by his carer, Sky News reports.
A post mortem confirmed that he had died as a result of heart disease.