Sheryl Gascoigne 'pleased' to be out of I'm A Celebrity camp and defends Gillian McKeith

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Sheryl Gascoigne stood by fellow contestant Gillian McKeith and admitted she was "delighted" to be out of the jungle after she became the first to be voted off I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

McKeith was much-criticised after she refused challenges and collapsed live on TV, prompting fellow contestants to accuse her of faking it to avoid tasks.

But the ex-wife of footballer Paul Gascoigne came to her defence this morning saying: "I had no reason not to believe her."

She told ITV's Daybreak: "Everybody's been asking me all day since I got out, 'did you believe her?' and I absolutely did, I had no reason not to.

"She was, from day one, she was just freaking at the fact that somebody had put bugs on top of her and she was like 'why would they do that?"'

And she said the nutritionist, who claimed she had never seen the reality TV show, even asked if they would be staying in a hotel.

"She was so convincing that I believed her," she added.

"Every day after that, when she had trials, she was just petrified, she was shaking with fear in the morning so I had no reason not to believe her."

Gascoigne's eviction meant McKeith, Stacey Solomon, Dom Joly and Shaun Ryder - who also featured in the public vote - were saved.

"I'm delighted to be out, yes, truly I am," she said.

Last night was spent with the family.

"The first thing I wanted to do was grab my gorgeous children," she said.

Earlier it was revealed that McKeith had smuggled a stash of herbs and spices into the camp - in special pockets in her knickers.

She said she was not going to go into the jungle without any flavour for her food.

"I smuggled it all in my knickers, I have a small bottom and I just grew it a bit when I came in here. I had special pockets in my knickers, my Marks & Spencer's knickers actually," she confessed.

"They are special knickers with secret pockets that I made myself with the purpose of smuggling seasoning in."

Holding up her hoard of food flavourings she revealed how she got them into the camp.

"I used a lined sanitary napkin, put the stock cubes in that and then put another sanitary napkin underneath and I wore them in.

"I feel very proud of the fact I smuggled all this contraband in my knickers, I had a lot more but I've been using it.

"Do you think I was going to come in here without any flavour - you must be mad! That's why all the dishes tasted so good, I could happily eat the food without flavour but I did it for the team, I didn't do it for me and I know they really appreciated it."

Gascoigne said: "I knew she had something but I didn't know what it was," adding that McKeith had kept "giving me a quick nudge and a wink".
Former MP Lembit Opik won immunity from the vote by triumphing in a challenge involving jungle nasties.

He managed to open a series of locks first in a contest with Joly, Ryder and Solomon.

They had to get some of the keys from covered boxes with compartments containing rats and a snake.

Opik and Ryder were both bitten on the fingers by the young Australian carpet python, which resented them fumbling around for the keys.

The needle-like punctures drew blood and the challenge they were taking part in was immediately stopped.

After the snake was removed, the game continued using rhino beetles.

Opik said: "I'm quite proud of winning, it was the toughest 12 hours since I came into the jungle."

Joly said: "I'm disappointed that I didn't beat Lembit because I wanted to see his little puppy face crumble."

But Gascoigne backed Solomon to win the contest.

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