I’m A Celebrity contestant Dean McCullough has admitted his preparations for a stint in the Australian wilderness haven’t exactly been plain sailing.
The BBC Radio 1 DJ is one of 10 famous faces that will enter the jungle on Sunday evening, although two more celebrities are reportedly joining them soon after they’ve settled in.
Ahead of his jungle stint, McCullough told ITV how he’s “terrified of everything” and that if he thinks too hard about what lies ahead, he “won’t get on the plane”.
However, it isn’t just imagining the horrors that will soon be bestowed on him that has proven tricky for the DJ but rather a different “mistake” that’s sent shivers up his spine.
“I am terrified of everything and the more I think about being put in the ground with 50 snakes or getting those green fly things that bite poured over me – well there’s just no point thinking about it, as otherwise I won’t get on the plane,” he began to ITV.
“When Ant and Dec say things like, ‘We are going to suspend you off the side of that cliff’, you know it is not going to be a fun day out.
ITV I’m A Celebrity: Dean McCullough is one of the 10 famous faces entering the camp
PA
“It’s no Alton Towers – it will be torturous,” he continued before shedding light on the fatal “mistake” he encountered.
McCullough explained: “I made the mistake of watching episode one from last year and I nearly passed out watching it. I had to turn it off.
“And I hate cockroaches. There was a cockroach in a hostel I stayed in once and I checked out during the middle of the night, as the thought of it – urgh, even talking about it now gives me the chills.”
Despite his angst, McCullough has addressed the possibility of being crowned King of the Jungle, saying: “Oh come on.
ITV I’m A Celebrity: The cast will be heading Down Under on Sunday
ITV
“I can’t think that far ahead. I am here for a good time – not a long time.
“But I am from Northern Ireland and I am doing this for my country. Now as it approaches, I’m really scared but I am really determined to give everything a go.”
Unfortunately for McCullough – or fortunately given his fears of “everything” – his chances of staying in the jungle for an extended period time don’t look promising ahead of his debut.
The radio presenter is currently priced as a 16/1 outsider for the jungle crown, with Richard Coles (20/1), Melvin Odoom (25/1) and Jane Moore (50/1) the only celebs with worse odds, according to William Hill.
At the other end of the market, it’s McFly star Danny Jones who’s an early frontrunner to be crowned as King of the Jungle with a price of 2/1 before Sunday’s premiere.
GK Barry is close behind at 5/1 while Corrie’s Alan Halsall and Love Island’s Maura Higgins follow after at 6/1 and 7/1, respectively.
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Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said of the odds ahead of Sunday’s show: “Following the confirmation of the final line-up for this series of I’m A Celeb, several of the contestants have been popular in the market.
“Danny Jones is 2/1 from 11/4 to become the second King of the Jungle from McFly after ex-bandmate Dougie Poynter won the 2011 series.
“Wife of Wayne Rooney, Coleen Rooney, has been well backed from 12/1 to 8/1, with the other mover being ex-pro boxer, turned boxing promoter Barry McGuigan who has narrowed from 25/1 to 14/1.”