From his top tips for surviving the food challenges to the hidden spot free from cameras and microphones, former jungle champion Phil Tufnell reveals all.
Former campmate Phil Tufnell insists a gameplan is a surefire way for campmates to fail. He also reveals how he learned to cope with the challenging dishes, and why his luxury item was the best thing to sneak in.
With the likes of Kelly Brook, Aitch and Martin Kemp entering the I’m a Celeb jungle in 2025, former winner Phil Tufnell has shared his top advice for this year’s line-up.
In an exclusive interview with online casino Betway, former cricketer Phil – who was crowned King of the Jungle over 20 years ago in 2003 and also appeared on I’m A Celebrity All-Stars in 2023 – reveals that while the extreme diet of rice and beans may have seen him shed a shocking amount of weight, he found a secret weapon to make the dishes more edible.
What advice do you have for IAC contestants this year?
Go in there and be yourself. React how you would normally react to any situation you’re faced with. If you’re trying to force anything or adopt a certain persona by doing something that isn’t natural to you, you start living in a parallel universe. You could start tripping yourself up and the viewers from home aren’t stupid!
Try to keep a smile on your face. When those down days come, try and say to yourself, “What an amazing experience.” That’s what you’ve got to keep thinking. A lot of people phone me up and say, “Oh I’ve been asked to do the jungle, should I do it?” And I say yes every single time. It will be one of the best experiences of your life.
How did you find your time in the jungle in 2003?
I really loved it. I think we were very naive because we were only on the second series of the show. It was early days, so everything was new, but we all got on well together. I dipped in and out of watching the first series, so I didn’t have a clue what I was going to be faced with. People would pay thousands for a similar adventure-type holiday, so that was my outlook. I knew I needed to enjoy it as much as I could!
It was scary going in, but over time we just started to enjoy everything about it. I felt excited because I was going into the unknown. We all turned up at the Versace Hotel buzzing. This year’s cast will still be settling in and getting to know each other, but they will be buzzing to be on the adventure.
How did you deal with hunger and how much weight did you lose?
I think I lost about a stone. There’s not much of me to lose either. We got some funny old bits of possum to eat and creatures I’ve never even heard of. And that was the reward when we won the challenges!
The rice and beans did get a bit wearing. But what I missed the most was a cup of tea or a cup of coffee in the mornings. You miss the taste of things. Apart from that, I had a great time.
Was there anything you snuck into the jungle that you couldn’t live without?
I didn’t sneak anything in, but I took a pillow as my luxury item. I have to credit my wife for the idea. My nickname is cat as I love snoozing. Some of the campmates took in tweezers, but my pillow was a godsend because the bunks were that comfortable, so it helped me snuggle down and get some good rest.
I slept very well. I think it’s because you’re out in the open, you haven’t had a lot of grub, and you might be a little bit dehydrated. You’re excited and tired and you have all this adrenaline after doing a trial.
You live by the light too. When it goes dark, everyone just flakes out and when it is morning, you get up. There may have been a few snorers, but by the time they were snoring, I was already asleep.
Did you think you’d be crowned King of the Jungle?
I never gave it a moment’s thought. It was only at the final meal with John Fashanu that I truly realised I was in the final and in with a chance of winning. I never went in there with a plan. That’s when people risk failing. When they have a plan.
Do you think more recent winners of the show have had a game plan?
I think it’s just natural. It’s been on for quite a while now. People might think, “Oh if I do this, I might get further.” But we were only in the second series, so we all went in with no expectations and our eyes wide open.
I never had a plan. I just wanted to keep a smile on my face for as long as I could. I think it was quite handy that I was a sportsman. I’ve spent all my career in dressing rooms and on tours with lots of other people around the world. So to be in such close quarters with people was enjoyable, not stressful.
I enjoyed meeting new people and if someone got a bit down, I tried to pick them up. It was all quite straightforward for me.
What was the most disgusting thing you did while on the show?
The dunny, it was awful. The funny thing about the dunny is the weight of it. You put the lid on and then you have to lug it down a path to get it taken away. And the movement of it, oh god! That wasn’t great.
I didn’t like eating any of the bugs either. We were still allowed to eat bugs and grubs that were alive. It was very strange to eat something that was still wriggling around on the plate. I would close my eyes and get it down me quickly.
How did you get on with your campmates and how did you cope with tense moments in camp?
I think we were very lucky as a group. We all tried to get on as much as we could. There were a few moments when someone was having a bad day. I noticed a lot was people getting homesick too, which is natural. It’s normal to miss your loved ones back home.
I wouldn’t say there were a lot of tense moments, but there were down moments from time to time. You had to learn to read these different situations. Learn when to give people a bit of space, and let them sort themselves out and then you can try and bring them back into the group. If someone has fallen out with someone, I would say, “Come on, we’re in here for a good time not a long time. Let’s try to have a bit of a laugh”.
Did you find yourself missing home?
You want to know your family is ok, but my wife Dawn had a lovely time in the Versace hotel! I only got to spend two days there, that was the only disappointing thing.
Do you have to have your mic on at all times?
You can take your mic off at night when you go to sleep. But there are mics dotted around and under your bed. There aren’t any cameras or mics in the dunny! But you are pretty much always being filmed and watched.
How was it returning to the show for All Stars in South Africa?
It was great to do it in a different place and Kruger National Park is an incredible place to be. Baboons were running about, it was amazing. Eagles were flying above you and there were vultures in the trees. When you were walking to get the water, you’d see deer and all these incredible animals. It was quite scary, but you’re well-protected.
The food got on my nerves a bit more. I forgot how awful the rice and beans were. My first time on the show, the food was actually decent. When we got treated to dinner after winning enough stars, it was quite good.
We’d have these weird foods we’ve never had before, and sometimes bits of seafood, but we had the chef Antony Worrall Thompson with us. That is my one recommendation if you go on the show. Make sure you have a chef with you for as long as possible. When Anthony left, we all just threw the rice and beans in the pot and stirred it around. But he would work his magic.
During All Stars, Myleene was very good at cooking too. She would fry the rice and that made it a lot better.
