Grace Dent quits I’m a Celebrity on medical grounds – details

Food critic Grace Dent has pulled out of the 2023 series of I’m a Celebrity.

According to an ITV spokesperson, the former Masterchef star left the show on “medical grounds”. The statement read: “Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds. She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike.”

Grace’s exit comes after fans commented on her appearance, noting that she looked unwell on camera. 

Taking to X during Sunday night’s episode, one person wrote: “Grace looked super unwell during those live shots…. Hope she’s okay,” while another added: “Seriously concerned about Grace and her mental welfare, please somebody from the prod team check in on her, she looks unwell.”

A third person tweeted: “Grace seems noticeably unwell. She seemed a bit frail upon entering the camp, but it’s becoming a tad concerning. Check on our girl.”

Grace expressed a desire to leave the jungle in the latest instalment, during which she was chosen to face the next Bushtucker trial, Down The Tubes. The 50-year-old told viewers: “I just want to go home.”

© ITV/Shutterstock

Ahead of her jungle stint, Grace expressed her apprehension about heading into the jungle and the lack of food. “Everything is filling me with a real sense of dread,” she told ITV. “But I am especially dreading being really hungry because I tend to eat four or five posh meals out a week because I am a restaurant critic.

“I know they are going to give me an eating trial and I am dreading putting even worse things in my mouth than I have in the past in fancy restaurants! I think I will be writing very stiff columns about the jungle food when I come out!”

© ITV/Shutterstock

While the Cumbria-born star admitted that life in the jungle would be tough, nothing could be more difficult than losing her parents. “I have been through a really difficult time over the last four or five years,” she explained before her appearance on the show. “My dad had dementia, I cared for him and I lost him. Mum had cancer and I lost her. I think that this has made me very strong and resilient. This is going to be a big challenge and now I am older, life is for living and it’s one of the reasons why I said yes.”

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Grace was hoping to go far in the competition and previously said she was “determined” not to be the first to leave. “I don’t want my life to be different when I finish this programme,” she continued, adding: “I don’t want to change anything at all but this is such a great challenge. It’s going to be fun.”

© ITV/Shutterstock

ITV has yet to share more details on Grace’s departure. However, a spokesperson did reveal that Danielle Harold will take Grace’s place in Monday’s trial, competing alongside Josie Gibson.