JESSICA Plummer says she hasn’t done any research on the castle hosting I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! but she has ‘Google imaged it’ and feels it looks like Hogwarts!
The 28-year-old actress - who played Chantelle Atkins in EastEnders - may not be far off the mark. Sprawling Gwrych Castle stands in 250 acres of gardens and grounds and certainly has that magical vibe! But that is where the magic ends with the campmates set to face critters, sleep without the usual comforts and shower with a watering can over a bath and a pump!
Speaking to the Journal, Jessica said: “I am a scaredy cat but ghosts are the least of my worries. I feel like ghosts, stuff like that, when you are with a group of people - to me that is quite fun. I don’t think that is going to be my main fear.
“I don’t even like ants. Like if I go for a picnics and ants are crawling on me, it freaks me out.
"I don’t like spiders, I don’t like a lot of things. I just like being clean, warm and safe.
"Like my hair is huge, imagine insects that I am going to be taking home with me.”
Jessica, who has daughter Noa Lily, has been isolating in Wales ahead of the show. She admitted she is ‘so competitive with herself’ and her nightmare trial would be ‘anything underground’.
Keen to overcome her fears, Jessica says she ‘prays’ she is not that person who says ‘I’m a celebrity…get me out of here!”
Asked if she has done anything to prepare for the show, Jessica replied: “Yes, I am really proud of myself - I gave up caffeine.
“I am more proud of myself because I am not this evil wicked witch which I thought I was going to be when I did quit.
“Before, if I didn’t wake up and have a coffee first thing in the morning it was like I just had this fog over me, like I didn’t have my personality yet. Literally my coffee was my personality. I was so dependant on it, so I have quit caffeine.
“I’ve not played with any insects or anything like that."
The show has moved from the Australian jungle to the 200-year-old folly in Abergele due to the pandemic.
The Grade I listed country house is said to be haunted and there has been alleged 'ghost encounters' at the castle.
Jessica, who has recorded up to three weeks of messages for her daughter to listen to whilst she is in the castle, said: “It is going to be mental. I am in Wales in a castle which is potentially haunted. I don’t know who definitely is in but I’ve seen the rumour list and it is going to be incredible, like the conversations I am going to have.
“Hopefully I overcome a few fears as well. It is going to be an experience of a lifetime."
Asked if she felt any added pressure going into the jungle, following the win by former Eastender star Jacqueline Jossa in 2019, Jessica said: "Maybe slightly. Not necessary because of past people that have been on the show, but because my character is so loved. I want people to love the real me as much as they love Chantelle and the character I am best known for.
“At the same time, I can only be myself can’t I? Hopefully they still love me when I come out.”
The Journal revealed a first look inside the I’m A Celebrity camp on Thursday. The red telephone box has made its way to Wales from Australia. Eight camp beds and two hammocks make up the sleeping quarters and there is also a not-so-inviting washroom where the campmates will certainly bond!
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! starts 9pm this Sunday on ITV.
Alongside Jessica, the latest crop of celebrities for the show include: AJ Pritchard, Beverley Callard, Giovanna Fletcher, Hollie Arnold, Jordan North, Sir Mo Farah, Shane Richie, Vernon Kay and Victoria Derbyshire.
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