Nigel Farage was the first celebrity to arrive in Australia ahead of the new series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.
The 58-year-old Brexit Party founder, who is rumored to be earning £1.5million for his upcoming stay in the jungle, is the first confirmed housemate to enter the jungle as he led the stars arriving at the airport on Sunday.
Josie Gibson, 38, is the second confirmed housemate as she was spotted at Heathrow Airport checking in for a Singapore Airlines flight to Australia.
First Dates star Fred Sirieix was also spotted at Heathrow – the French TV personality, 51, is expected to travel on the same flight as Gibson.
The other mystery celebrity housemates have also started landing Down Under ahead of the 2023 series kicking off on Sunday, November 19.
Touchdown: Social media influencer Nella Rose greeted viewers with a wave as she arrived in Australia on Sunday
Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have already landed to begin rehearsals for the show.
Nigel, who will become the series’ highest-paid contestant ever, landed at 9.45am this morning after a 20-hour flight from London and became the first confirmed campmate for the series.
Nigel has paid a staggering £1.5 million for his time in the jungle, where he faces terrifying bushtucker trials where he is forced to eat pig testicles and deer blood.
He smiled as he revealed that he made the decision to attend to connect with potential young voters who wanted to hear his political views.
Speaking to Web, he said: “I just think there is a big young audience out there watching the show.”
“These are people worth talking to and I’ve been playing around with TikTok for the last few months and you’ll be surprised that there are a lot of people out there who are interested in what I have to say. “So that would be the reason if you see me there.”
When asked if he had seen his colleague Matt Hancock on the show last year, he replied: “Who hasn’t?”
ITV insiders reveal they hope the decision to pay him the seven-figure sum will ensure this series is as popular as last year’s series, which starred Matt Hancock.
ITV are hoping their investment in the former MP pays off, while those close to Farage insist he will be worth every penny – especially as he has become a TikTok. Sensation and becoming popular with Generation Z.
Heading into camp: The Brexit Party founder is the first confirmed housemate to enter the jungle as he led stars arriving to the airport on Sunday
Second confirmed: Josie Gibson, 38, is the second confirmed housemate as she was spotted arriving in Australia shortly after Nigel
Not long to go! Nigel has paid a staggering £1.5 million for his time in the jungle, where he faces terrifying bushtucker trials where he is forced to eat pig testicles and deer blood
Beaming: He smiled as he revealed he made the decision to attend to connect with potential young voters who wanted to hear his political views
Exciting: Speaking to Web, he said: “I just think there’s a big young audience out there watching the show.”
To get to the point: “These are people worth talking to and I’ve been playing around with TikTok for the last few months and you’ll be surprised that there are a lot of people out there who are interested in “interested in what I have.” say. So that would be the reason if you see me there.
The aim is to get better: When asked if he had seen his colleague Matt Hancock on the show last year, he replied: “Who hasn’t?”
Nerves: ITV insiders reveal they hope the decision to pay him the seven-figure sum will ensure this series is as popular as last year’s series, which starred Matt Hancock
‘Worth every penny’: ITV hopes their investment in the former MP pays off, while those close to Farage insist he will be worth every penny – especially as he has become a TikTok
Fear: Nigel’s deal was brokered by his girlfriend and 2017 jungle queen Georgia Toffolo, who tripled the £500,000 fee originally offered by ITV
One more week: Former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have rejected big money offers to appear on the reality show
Popular: Nigel’s rise in popularity is thanks to the social media platform TikTok, where he has 379,000 followers and his videos have garnered 6.5 million likes
An ITV needs him more than he needs her. His TikTok has taken off quite a bit and his social media presence on platforms that appeal to a younger audience has increased exponentially in the last six to nine months and he is reaching that younger demographic.
“One of ITV’s biggest priorities is attracting younger viewers, so Nigel will be a big driving force in this.”
The source close to Nigel continued: “Due to the relative success of Matt Hancock, they needed to fill that gap.”
Last year, the former health minister’s arrival in the jungle heralded a jump in viewership of 300,000, with a peak of 9.1 million watching his first appearance and the Bushtucker trial.
Nigel’s deal was brokered by his girlfriend and 2017 jungle queen Georgia Toffolo, who tripled the £500,000 fee originally offered by ITV.
It comes as former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have turned down big money offers to appear on the reality show.
Nigel’s rise in popularity is thanks to the social media platform TikTok, where he has 379,000 followers and his videos have racked up 6.5 million likes.
Farage even took to the social media site to get his opinion on whether he should sign on to I’m A Celeb.
One wrote: “I’ll be watching it for Nigel this year,” while others labeled him a “goat” – an acronym for “The Greatest of All Time.”
Not long now: The This Morning presenter confirmed rumors she was heading to the jungle when she was spotted at the airport on Sunday
Spotted: Josie pictured chatting to fans and taking selfies at the airport