Coleen Rooney’s I’m A Celebrity journey wasn’t without its trials and tribulations, as she revealed to Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley on Good Morning Britain on Monday that she suffered a secret health battle – alcohol and caffeine withdrawal.
When Coleen reunited with her sons on the I’m A Celebrity set, it moved Ant McPartlin to tears. By that point, she was over the withdrawal headaches. But it took some time to get there, it seems.
She told Susanna and Richard there was a key way she didn’t prepare for her jungle stint. She neglected to wean herself off coffee, sugar and alcohol.
As a result, she suffered from a persistent headache after just three days Down Under. She still made it to the final two, however, narrowly missing out on the title Queen of the Jungle to Danny Jones.
Coleen Rooney on coffee, sugar and alcohol withdrawal
On today’s (Monday, December 9) episode of Good Morning Britain, Coleen Rooney told Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid about one of the personal struggles she faced during this year’s I’m A Celebrity….
She told them she was more focused on getting her four boys, Kai, Clay, Kit and Cass, ready for her absence than preparing her own body for the change.
In the end, she suffered the result. She told the presenters she experienced headaches. Coleen put these down to withdrawal from caffeine, sugar and alcohol. And then hunger: “We didn’t get stars in the first week,” she reminded them.
“After a few days in I was thinking, what have I signed up for? What am I doing here? And then the headaches set in. Obviously withdrawal from caffeine, sugar, and alcohol. And then the hunger, we didn’t get stars in the first week.”
She added: “Dean didn’t succeed in the some of the trials so we were on limited food and the hunger was real. The first week was a struggle.
“We got used to the rice and beans in the end. I will never cook rice and beans again,” she insisted.
On caffeine withdrawal, the NHS says cutting caffeine from your diet too quickly can lead to headaches. However, drinking plenty of water tends to help with these.
Medics had to perform a health check on Coleen after one trial
Everyone involved in I’m A Celebrity is at some level of risk from animal attacks. As a result, doctors are always available on standby during filming.
This meant that when a jumping spider bit co-host Declan Donnelly, there was no reason to worry. Also, fortunately for him, it wasn’t venomous.
On December 4, ITV brought in the docs to perform a health check on Coleen Rooney.
During the Arcade of Agony Bushtucker Trial, a bug crawled into Coleen’s ear. After acing the trial, she told Ant and Dec she could feel something inside her right ear.
Medics inserted a syringe and injected a solution to flush it out. She said afterwards that she was fine, “just had something in me ear”.
“I’ve always wondered why [producers have] never provided the celebs with ear plugs so no creepy crawlies crawled inside the ear,” a viewer commented on X.
Possibly because eliminating all risk would defeat the point of the show. Either way, Coleen wasn’t too badly affected by the episode!
Read more: I’m A Celebrity fans complain over ‘boring’ final: ‘The droning on is driving me mad’
So, do you think you’d cope in the jungle without coffee or alcohol? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.