Former Love Island star turned TV presenter Olivia Attwood has revealed the reasons behind why she was forced to quit I'm A Celebrity 2022 after just one day in the jungle.
Attwood made no secret that she was thrilled to be heading into the jungle. Despite getting a taste of jungle life after leaping out of a helicopter alongside Chris Moyles and taking part in the first Bushtucker Trial of 2022, she was forced to leave the show less than 24 hours after series 22 kicked off.
At the time, it was claimed that she was forced to retire from the competition due to medical reasons, and all sorts of rumors began to circulate as viewers tried to guess what could have prompted such a swift exit. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Attwood has revealed confirmed why she was forced to leave: a routine medical assessment had found she was dangerously anaemic.
A random routine blood test — something all jungle campmates undergo throughout the show — disclosed the condition. The same tests also flagged up low potassium and sodium levels, prompting ITV staff to take the star straight to A&E despite Olivia saying she felt "absolutely fine” at the time.
"I was so scared, I was like 'what the hell is wrong with me?'," she explained. "They couldn't give me an answer, they just told me that they had to get me to the hospital immediately. The results were really, really low when they put them into their reader and they consulted with another doctor off site. I had those bloods done in England before I left, and they were fine. I was confused and of course very, very worried."
Thankfully, the tests were then repeated at a hospital 40 minutes away from camp, where they came back normal. Attwood went on to explain that she was left in a hotel whilst ITV bosses explored her potential future on the show.
As the article explains, being iron deficiency anaemic could put you at an increased risk of infection or illness and lower mineral levels can indicate other underlying health problems. As such, the I'm A Celebrity team was not prepared to potentially put Olivia Attwood at risk by allowing her to head back into camp.
When she found out she wasn’t being allowed to return to the jungle, Olivia said she was “absolutely devastated”. “I’m not a crier but I started to cry, it was emotional. I was heartbroken and gutted. I tried to keep my emotions in check and keep it in perspective, things could be so much worse.
“Just two days before, I jumped out of a helicopter which I loved. I did a trial which I loved. I was so happy and elated. It was an extreme high to an extreme low. I felt empty”, she added.
Despite saying goodbye to camp so early, Attwood still has her own predictions about who might be joining the I'm A Celebrity winners list. "I have a feeling Chris Moyles has a chance, he is very, very funny. Or Babatunde. I like Charlene a lot as well. There isn't an obvious frontrunner right now but I'm going for one of those three."
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2022 continues nightly at 9 pm on ITV. You can catch up with previous episodes on ITV Hub.
