Monday 29 November 2010

'I'm not a fake!' Gillian McKeith insists her fainting spells were all real as she is finally voted off I'm A Celebrity

By SARAH BULL

Excited: Gillian McKeith couldn't stop smiling after she was finally voted off I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

After 17 days of moaning and annoying her campmates with her refusal to take part in trials, Gillian McKeith's time in the jungle has finally come to an end.

The nutritionist survived the jungle for over two weeks, but caused controversy with her frequent 'fainting', which was deemed 'fake' by many viewers and some of her fellow celebrities.

And Gillian said she was thrilled to be out of the camp, telling Ant and Dec: 'I'm so happy, I'm so happy I cannot tell you! I'm the happiest person alive.'

Legendary: Gillian's many fainting attacks have becoming something of a legend and have gone down in I'm A Celebrity history

She also spoke about the numerous fainting attacks she suffered during her time on the show, insisting they weren't fake.

Gillian said: 'I have a history of fainting, it's not something that I would ever want to do - it feels horrible. When I stood up my legs felt like jelly and then I woke up with the mask on. It's horrible.'

Time to go home: It was between Gillian and Aggro Santos, but viewers voted for Gillian to be evicted

She also admitted she had no idea why she had decided to take part in the ITV show considering all her phobias.

Gillian, who took part in EIGHT Bushtucker Trials, said: 'I must have lost my marbles. I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't think I would be picked for all these trials, I thought I would be cooking all the time!'

Ecstatic: Gillian couldn't believe her luck when she was told she would be going home

And Gillian labelled taking part in the trials 'so draining', adding to Ant and Dec: 'The first day I thought that would be it and then each day it would start again and the anxiety levels grew into panic attack mode - I felt as thought I was on high alert all the time.

'I was petrified I was going to get to do more trials. I thought, I've had my Hallelujah moment, I don't want to ruin it.'

The 51-year-old also spoke about the Dreaded Digger task, which Jenny Eclair had taken part in earlier in the show, but which she refused even to try.

Tentative: Gillian walked slowly across the bridge to meet Ant and Dec for her post-eviction interview

Revealing all: Gillian said she must have 'lost her marbles' by agreeing to go on the show

She explained: 'I felt like I had a breakdown in that digger. I felt like I was so emotionally raw I had nothing left to give. I would have liked to have tried but my brain wouldn't kick in with all those levers and everything.

'I thought I was going to faint and there would be bugs all over me - I couldn't do it.'

During her interview with Ant and Dec, Gillian was shown footage of her numerous arguments with former Happy Mondays star Shaun Ryder, who was more than a little vocal about his dislike of the TV presenter.

I'm free! Gillian makes her way across the bridge as she heads back to the real world

Together again: Gillian was met by her lookalike daughter Skylar

But Gillian said she doesn't hold a grudge, adding: 'The funny part is we got on sometimes but other times it was just frightening.

'He's a warm-hearted guy, he's kind and generous but there are times I just can't take the way he behaves.'

However, there was one celebrity Gillian connected with more than all the others - former X Factor star Stacey Solomon.

Asked who she wants to be crowned the winner of the show on Saturday, Gillian said: 'Stacey, without a doubt - she's definitely the Queen of the jungle in my book.'

Cringe-making: While Gillian deemed her fainting attacks 'embarrassing', she insisted they were entirely real

source: dailymail