You’ll never believe how much Nigel Farage gets paid to participate on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of here!
The former UKIP leader is in Australia, preparing for a spell in the jungle alongside Josie Gibson, Sam Thompson, and Jamie Lynn Spears.
This isn’t the first time a contentious political figure has joined the camp, nor is it the first time they’ve gotten a hefty sum for doing so.
Farage, 59, will allegedly receive £1.5 million for his appearance on I’m A Celeb, making him the highest-paid campmate ever.
Farage is said to have previously turned down many offers of hundreds of thousands of pounds from ITV to be on the reality programme, but it appears that money talks.
Farage was asked for the show in 2016, months after the Brexit referendum.
According to the MailOnline, Farage’s 2023 fee is the most I’m A Celeb has splashed out on a star since Noel Edmonds, who received £600,000 for his stint in 2018.
The speculations of Farage’s casting have sparked widespread outrage, with hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly under increasing pressure to respond.
After Matt Hancock reached the final in 2022, the couple, along with ITV, were accused of allowing discredited politicians to utilise the programme as a platform to rehabilitate their careers and restore public perception of them.
Fans of I’m A Celeb have heaped’shame’ on Ant and Dec, while some believe the show’s producers made the ‘wrong decision’ in hiring Farage.
On Saturday (November 11), Farage was photographed leaving Heathrow Airport for Australia, stopping for a pint at the Queen’s Arms pub before boarding his 24-hour journey.
Farage looked cheerful in a pink checkered blazer, blue shirt, and beige chinos, which he matched with deck shoes for the trip.
He was then claimed to have begun his voyage in a Singapore Airlines suite cabin, which costs £8,000 for a one-way ticket, whereas previous candidates were rewarded to a business class seat before embarking on the three-week trek in the jungle.
When questioned about joining up for the programme last month, Farage was evasive, although he did say he would think about it.
During his GB News broadcast, he addressed the issue, saying, “Unlike previous years, I am giving it very, very serious consideration.”
‘Why? Well, you’ve got about 10million young people who watch that programme.
‘These are people who don’t really watch the news or read newspapers, but they still care about the country they live in and their futures, and actually, in many ways, the futures of young people in Britain had been blighted.
‘They haven’t got the same opportunities that their parents and grandparents had and they’d love to look for solutions.’
He went on to say that appearing might give him the chance to ‘connect with that audience’.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2023 kicks off on November 19 on ITV1 and ITVX.
