Beverley Callard forced to leave I’m A Celebrity: ‘I didn’t know I had cancer’

Actress Beverley Callard had to exit the ITV reality series I’m A Celebrity… South Africa following a collapse in the jungle, only to later learn she had cancer. Known for her role as Liz McDonald in Coronation Street, Callard shared her breast cancer diagnosis in February, but the incident on the show preceded that revelation.

During Tuesday’s episode, which was filmed in September prior to her diagnosis, Callard emotionally announced her departure, expressing devastation. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, she detailed her fainting episode following an unexpected illness. “I was unaware of my cancer at the time, but I had felt unwell for the past few days in the jungle,” she stated.

“I went into the Bush Telegraph [the show’s video diary room] and apparently I lost consciousness for a little while. I just wasn’t feeling myself. They took me to a medical hut, where the staff provided exceptional care and informed me I couldn’t return,” she said.

Callard, 69, added: “I said, ‘Don’t send me home, I’m sure I’ll be fine.’ I’ve jumped out of a plane, I’ve hung off a cliff, and I wanted to succeed and make it through to the end. But that was the start of everything, really.”

“So it’s made me really emotional. But I will beat this. I will beat it,” she concluded.

In the caption accompanying her video, she wrote: “I wanted to prove that age is just a number and I feel so proud of what I achieved. Just got to get through this real-life trial now.” Her emotional exit prompted support from fellow campmates, including Scarlett Moffatt, who called her “everyone’s camp mam.”

“Selfishly, I would want Bev to stay, because she’s like everyone’s camp mam, but her health is more important,” Moffatt told the cameras.

Singer Sinitta praised Callard: “Beverley is my inspiration. You know that thing where you think, well, if Beverley can do it, I can do it. She gives me that. She’s an amazing woman.”

Camp Drama

Meanwhile, tension erupted in the jungle as Adam Thomas confronted Jimmy Bullard after Bullard quit the show and seemingly eliminated Thomas. The pair joined a challenge where the losing pair would be sent home, but Bullard refused to participate, shouting “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” to forfeit the trial.

“Jim, don’t do this bro, come on! Is that how we’re going out, yeah?” Thomas shouted, furious at Bullard’s decision.

Bullard apologized, claiming he had “had enough,” but Thomas accused him of being “pathetic.” “What’s up with you, bro? If you wanted to go… go. Don’t take me with you. Tell me why,” Thomas demanded. Bullard admitted he wanted to leave, but Thomas insisted he should have quit independently or not participated at all.

Thomas received a reprieve when hosts Ant and Dec asked the remaining campmates to decide his fate. They unanimously agreed he should stay, allowing him to continue the journey.