Richard Madeley leaves I’m A Celebrity after breaking ‘Covid bubble’ to go to hospital

Richard Madeley has been forced to withdraw from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! after breaking the show’s “Covid bubble”.

The TV presenter was taken to hospital after falling ill in the I’m A Celebrity camp, he’s since taken to social media to say he is “fine”.

The I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! contestant, 65, was seen by an on-site medical team before being admitted to hospital as a precaution, ITV said.

Madeley, best-known for hosting This Morning alongside his wife Judy Finnigan, and more recently as a presenter on Good Morning Britain, is among the stars taking part in this year’s series at Gwrych Castle in North Wales.

Star says he's 'gutted' to be leaving show so soon

He wrote on Instagram: “Hello all! Richard here – firstly just to say that I’m absolutely FINE. I started to feel briefly unwell in the small hours of the morning and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

“By leaving the camp, I had consequently broken the Covid ‘bubble’ and as such I’ve had to leave the castle and all the wonderful celebs that remain in the camp.

“Obviously I’m gutted to be leaving so soon but the safety of all the campmates is the number one priority. I’m incredibly excited to watch their journey continue … even more so at the prospect of being somewhere a little warmer than Gwrych Castle.

“Thank you to everyone who supported me on my brief but completely unforgettable adventure – I’ve made some great friends and honestly had the time of my life.”

Wednesday’s episode of the show saw him slide head first into a sewer of rotten fruit and vegetables during a trial called Castle Kitchen Nightmares.

The challenge saw the presenter hunt for 10 hidden stars in a room “full of castle critters” as rotten food was dumped on him from above.

‘The health and safety of our campmates is our priority’

On Thursday a tweet from the show stated: “News from Camp: Richard was unwell in the early hours and was immediately seen by our on-site medical team. He’s since been taken to hospital as a precaution, the health and safety of our campmates is our priority.”

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 05.43am this morning, Thursday 25 November 2021, to reports of a medical emergency at Gwrych Castle in Abergele, Conwy.

“We sent a paramedic in a rapid response car and an emergency ambulance to the scene, and one patient was taken to hospital.”

The flagship series is returning to Wales for a second year because of ongoing coronavirus travel restrictions, preventing filming at its usual Australian jungle location.