I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 2023 Form Guide and More

by Roy Brindley, 14 November 2023

I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here will soon be back on British TV screens. In 2022, the show was won by former English former professional footballer Jill Scott. Despite being its 22nd series of the ITV show, almost 12 million people tuned in to see her crowned as the Queen of The Jungle.

Early Favourite: Jose Gibson has proven popular with viewers of this type of show in the past. ©GettyImages

As usual, this year’s show will run for three weeks, and Murwillumbah, 850 kilometres north of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia, is where contestants will be camped. According to the Sun newspaper, a dozen contestants from the world of politics, daytime TV, pop stardom, social media, and even horse racing will take part.

Who are these brave souls? What are their chances of winning? Who does the formbook suggest will take the title? And what do the bookmakers make of the contestants’ chances? In our unique guide to I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 2023, you can learn the answers to these questions and many more. Read on …

Who Is Heading to the Jungle?

Traditionally, ten celebrities enter the show at the outset, and two latecomers join the party sometime during the opening week. With ITV still tight-lipped regarding what viewers can expect from the forthcoming show, it is unclear who will appear from day one.

What we do know, according to the Sun newspaper, is the celebrities who will enter the jungle this year. They are Tony Bellew, Jamie Lynn Spears, Nigel Farage, Nick Pickard, Josie Gibson, Fred Sirieix, Frankie Dettori, Nella Rose, Danielle Harold, Sam Thompson, Marvin Humes and Grace Dent.

If you are still getting familiar with these names, here is a short overview of each contestant’s background.

Tony Bellew (40). The former boxer, who claimed Cruiserweight, Heavyweight, and Light-Heavyweight titles during his career, has kept busy since his 2018 retirement from the ring. The Liverpudlian has appeared in SAS Who Dares Wins; he is a regular pundit for DAZN and portrayed “Pretty” Ricky Conlan in this summer’s smash hit movie, Creed III.

Jamie Lynn Spears (32). Best known as Britney Spears’s younger sister and a teenage mum, Jamie Lynn Spears has done some acting – most recently in Paramount’s Zoey 102 – but she has turned her hand to celeb/reality TV in 2023. So far this year, she lasted three days in Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test (the US version of SAS Who Dares Wins) and, six weeks ago, she left Dancing With The Stars as the second eliminated contestant.

Nigel Farage (59). The highly controversial former leader of the UKIP and Brexit parties now goes under the guise of a GB News presenter. Farage has yet to experience a gameshow of this ilk – but then again, some would describe much of his life as a pantomime.

Nick Pickard (48). One of the lesser-known I’m a Celebrity contestants, Pickard is the longest-serving actor in Hollyoaks and has portrayed the character Tony Hutchinson since the first episode in 1995. The Surrey-born actor has made the odd appearance in celebrity TV shows such as The Weakest Link, Celebrity MasterChef and, most recently, a 2016 episode of Pointless Celebrities.

Josie Gibson (38). The 2010 Big Brother winner with a strong West Country accent has appeared in numerous celebrity TV shows, including Celebrity Dinner Date and The Jump. Most recently, she has become a regular host of This Morning, where her down-to-earth style has proven popular with viewers.

Fred Sirieix (51). Unknown to TV viewers before 2013, the French Maître d’hôtel was an instant hit when appearing on Channel 4’s First Dates and he has been in high demand ever since. The BBC and Channel 4 have used him heavily, presenting shows such as Remarkable Places to Eat, Snackmasters, Step Up to the Plate and, most recently, Ultimate Wedding Planner. His CV has no gameshow listed, but Sirieix did appear on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2022.

Frankie Dettori (52). Towards the end of his 2023 ‘Farewell Tour’, the Italian jockey did a U-turn on his retirement plans and declared he would relocate to America and continue riding. Outside of horseracing, few can recall his ‘Magnificent Seven’ day at Ascot; it was 27 years ago. His one appearance in a show of this kind came in 2013 when he was the fifth person eliminated from Celebrity Big Brother.

Nella Rose (26). A real dark horse, this Belgian living in London has a substantial social media profile with over 800,000 followers on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Her only conventional TV experience comes via a spell co-hosting Catfish on MTV.

Danielle Harold (31). No series of I’m a Celebrity is complete without a star from Coronation Street, EastEnders or both. Harold played Lola Pearce in the London-based EastEnders where she had two four-year stints – but the actress left in May 2023. She will not be returning as her character passed away from a brain tumour. No gameshow experience appears on her resume, but Harold will star in Celebrity Hunted in 2024.

Sam Thompson (31). Making his name in Made In Chelsea in 2013, Thompson, now a DJ and panellist on Love Island: Aftersun, has appeared in a plethora of shows similar to I’m A Celebrity and he has enjoyed some notable success. Third in Celebrity Big Brother, he has also been a contestant in Celebrity Coach Trip, several episodes of Celebs Go Dating, The Celebrity Circle, Tipping Point Lucky Stars, and SAS Who Dares Wins.

Meet the 10 brave Celebrities who are heading to the infamous Australian Jungle this Sunday at 9pm. 🇦🇺 #ImACeleb ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/1Qjc8kAizz

— I’m A Celebrity… (@imacelebrity) November 13, 2023

Marvin Humes (38). Coming to the public’s attention as a member of JLS – the band that finished second in 2008s X Factor – Humes had appeared in Holby City as a teenager between 2000-2003. Since 2013, the Londoner has co-presented several BBC and ITV shows, but he brings no celebrity gameshow form to the table.

Grace Dent (50). As a regular food and restaurant critic, Dent has appeared on Masterchef UK, Masterchef: The Professionals, Celebrity MasterChef and, as a judge, on BBC Two’s Great British Menu. She clearly has a hunger for celebrity gameshows, having previously taken part in Pointless Celebrities and Richard Osman’s House of Games.

Historical Form Is the Best Pointer

In trying to identify the winner of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and most TV shows of this ilk, looking to the form books can prove to be an excellent form pointer. The list of previous winners reads like this:

What Are the I’m a Celebrity 2023 Odds?

Every major UK-facing bookmaker offers odds on the outcome of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 2023. They are unanimous in making Jose Gibson the early betting favourite. Her odds currently hover around 10/3.

Sam Thompson, Fred Sirieix and Frankie Dettori follow in the betting. They can all be backed on 5/1. After that, it is 8/1 Nigel Farage, 11/1 Danielle Harold and Marvin Humes, 16/1 Tony Bellow (only at William Hill), 25/1 Nick Pickard and Nella Rose, 33/1 Jamie Lynn Spears and 40/1 Grace Dent.

How Does the Formbook See It?

The list of previous winners shows Londoners have enjoyed outstanding success in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Eight previous winners have come from the capital. Furthermore, four winners played a part in the London-based soap opera EastEnders.

Despite several attempts and near misses, an individual from rival soaps, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, have yet to win the show. A politician has never won I’m a Celeb either. However, very few have taken their chances, and Matt Hancock was an excellent third 12 months ago.

Can Nigel Farage go a few places better? He is a ‘Marmite character’, and his progress will be fascinating. The same goes for Grace Dent. Any viewers that can recall the food critic calling the show “a puerile venture into starvation, televised constipation and animal cruelty, abbreviated by ads for Iceland £1 curries” will take great delight in voting her into Bushtracker Trials.

Recent trends suggest that both contestants are too old to take the prize. Jamie Lynn Spears’ age is not a handicap, but no American contestant has ever won a British show of this type. Those same trends firmly steer us to three contestants. Jose Gibson, Sam Thompson and Danielle Harold.

All three are in their 30s. Jose Gibson and Sam Thompson have proven their popularity amongst viewers of this type of show in the past. In addition to her age and London passport, the success of EastEnders actors in I’m a Celebrity makes Danielle Harold another with a big chance.