Janet Street-Porter claimed on I’m A Celebrity…I Need to Get Out of Here! Producers wanted her to get Paul Burrell to talk about the Royal Family on the show.
Both the Loose Women panellist and the former Royal butler featured on the fourth season of the reality show in 2004.
Paul, 64, had written his memoir A Royal Duty the year prior, causing a schism with Buckingham Palace.
While he hadn’t been hesitant in spilling the beans in there, he was being coy on the broadcast, prompting producers to intervene.
Janet, 76, has now spoken out about being encouraged to persuade him to leak things in front of cameras.
‘The thing about Paul is that they wanted him to talk about being a Royal butler and he didn’t want to talk about it and that’s the whole reason why he was in there, so I got summoned to the diary hut every five minutes and told to “get him talking about the corgi’s and Diana, and he would come out with some gems,’ she said on Loose Women on Tuesday.
She then recalled Paul telling her about the Queen’s pet dog making a mess at Sandringham, and how it was his job to follow them about and sponge up their pee with blotting paper.
When asked if she was close with her former campmate, Janet didn’t hold back.
‘Let me say two words, Myth vs. Reality,’ she said.
‘He’s never been round my house and recollections may vary. I’m sure Paul is looking for another member of the Royal Family to be butler to, and he’s welcome to come round my house, run my bath, make my tea, although I’ve got precious china and will have to lock that up.’
She later stated that she ‘tolerated’ him throughout their stay in the forest.
Paul joined the Royal Service at the age of 18 as a Buckingham Palace footman before becoming Queen Elizabeth II’s personal footman a year later.
He joined Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s household in 1987, serving as her butler until her death in 1997.
After 18 days in the Australian jungle in 2004, he was declared runner-up, with Joe Pasquale taking the title.
Janet, on the other hand, made it to the top four but was the sixth person evicted.
Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV.
