I’m A Celeb stars had it ‘easy’ in Wales, says contestant Jordan Banjo

Diversity’s Jordan Banjo, 30, spoke about why he felt stars who competed in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in Wales “had it easier” than those partaking in the show in its usual Australian location. 

Due to Covid restrictions, the ITV show was forced to move locations to Wales for two years, where they filmed in Gwrych Castle near Abergele in Conwy, North Wales.

KISS radio presenter Jordan, who placed third on the show when he competed back in 2016, discussed his time on the show ahead of returning for the I’m A Celeb: All Stars! series this year.

The dancer, who first got his start on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, spoke to Express.co.uk as part of a wider interview about Food Waste Action Week last month.

Asked if he thought the celebs in the Welsh series had it tougher than those living in the Australian sunshine, he replied: “No! I thought, ‘Hang on a minute – you don’t have to…’ 

READ MORE: Carol Vorderman at loggerheads with Tory MP Lee Anderson 

“Well, it depends on what way you want to look at it,” he reasoned. “If you’re looking at it from an experience point of view, I do think they kind of got shortchanged. 

“I do feel gutted for them because you get to go to Australia and the jungle and, as scary and as unnerving as it is, you’re in this beautiful place which is actually really, really cool. 

“But in terms of… Logistically, you’re in Wales? That’s a two-hour drive from a lot of people,” he continued.

“You come out of there, you go straight home, you can chill out, you’re fine! So it depends on what way you want to look at it. 

“From an experience point of view, I do feel sorry for them, because Australia is the coolest thing ever,” he reiterated. 

“But then on the other side, I’m a bit like, ‘You’ve got off a little bit easy’. Because it’s not as scary, really, when you’re in a castle in Wales. 

“Noone’s going to drop a snake on your head in the middle of the night are they?!” he quipped. 

I’m A Celeb: All Stars! will be coming to our screens in just a few weeks, with the likes of former contestants such as Jordan, Helen Flanagan and Amir Khan all taking part once more. 

Jordan will also be reunited with former campmate Carol Vorderman, whom he described as a “good friend”, in the South Africa-based series presented by Ant & Dec. 

The Diversity star has teamed up with Love Food Hate Waste to encourage families around the UK to waste less time and money by freezing leftovers and preparing meals that can be enjoyed more than once. 

“We’re wasting two and half days cooking food that just gets wasted and not eaten, and when I heard that I just thought that is a HUGE amount of time,” he explained, before later adding of the campaign: “You’re saving time and money – so it’s sort of a win-win!”

For more information on Food Waste Action Week and to find out what you can do to reduce the food you waste at home, visit the Food Waste Action Week website at lovefoodhatewaste.com/fwaw