Freddie Starr on his way to 'Celebrity' jungle

Freddie Starr on his way to 'Celebrity' jungle
Freddie Starr on his way to 'Celebrity' jungle

Freddie Starr will be joining his fellow campers in the I'm a Celebrity... jungle after a mix-up over his insurance paperwork was sorted. Speculation began mounting as to the welfare of the 68-year-old funnyman - who had major heart surgery last year - after he failed to join the other participants when they entered the camp on Friday. However it has since been reported that the delay was down to not having his insurance sorted in time. He is now reportedly set to join the camp after the necessary paperwork, detailing his recovery from his operation, arrived on Saturday. "The problem now seems to have been overcome and Freddie's on his way into the jungle," a show insider said. Earlier Freddie - who remained at a luxury hotel in Australia while the others roughed it in camp - denied he had had health problems. "I'm all right, there's no health scare," he said. "It's all down to paperwork." Meanwhile the contestants who did make it to camp reportedly endured a difficult first night in their new jungle home. According to The Sun Mark Wright, Jessica-Jane Clement and Willie Carson slept in a cave - where they had creepy-crawlies dropped on them throughout the night. The series begins on Sunday at 9pm on ITV1.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.