I’m A Celebrity cancelled after contestants removed from castle due to Storm Arwen

Ant and Dec confirmed that there won’t be an episode of I’m A Celebrity this weekend (Photo: Getty)Ant and Dec confirmed that there won’t be an episode of I’m A Celebrity this weekend (Photo: Getty)
Ant and Dec confirmed that there won’t be an episode of I’m A Celebrity this weekend (Photo: Getty)

I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here has been cancelled this weekend due to the extreme weather.

The episodes of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here on Saturday and Sunday were cancelled because the production base at Gwrych Castle in North Wales suffered significant damage during Storm Arwen on Friday night.

The stars of the reality show have been removed from the castle while work is carried out to get the production base back up and running after suffering technical issues due to extreme weather, ITV has announced.

It is understood the celebrities will individually return to quarantine to ensure they remain Covid secure and they will then be back at the castle once the whole production is safely re-established.

A statement from I’m A Celebrity said: “Whilst we get the production base back up and running after suffering technical issues due to the storm, we have removed the celebrities from the castle.”

The show’s official Twitter account added: “Owing to technical difficulties caused by extreme weather conditions in the area, there will be no new episodes of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! this weekend (Saturday and Sunday).

“I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! will be replaced tonight and tomorrow night in the ITV schedules by compilation shows (voiced by Ant & Dec) featuring best moments from previous series.”

Friday’s episode of the ITV show was the first to be pre-recorded due to the weather conditions.

Hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly recorded their links early in the evening as part of “precautionary measures” put in place by ITV following severe storm warnings.

The duo posted a video from outside the castle ahead of the show, with the wind whipping and roaring in the background.

“You’ve probably heard we’ve had to record the show a bit earlier tonight because of the winds here at Storm Arwen,” said Donnelly.

“It’s bad, isn’t it, it’s really windy,” said McPartlin. “You can hear it, it’s rattling the tent, it might blow this away, so we’ve got to get it done and get out of here.”

Donnelly added: “It’s due to get worse later so everyone is afraid that the satellite is going to go down and all of that, so it’s a bit risky to do a live show, so we’re going to have to do it recorded tonight, which is the first time we’ve ever done that.”

It has been an eventful first week at Gwrych Castle, where the programme is being filmed for a second year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, Richard Madeley announced he was leaving the show after he was taken to hospital as a precaution when he fell ill in the early hours of the morning.

The TV presenter later said he felt “fit as a fiddle” and was “gutted” that Covid restrictions meant he was not able to return.

ITV also confirmed that an intruder was removed from the set after a security breach at the castle earlier in the week.

This article was originally published on our sister title, NationalWorld.