Joey Essex shocks fans as he turns up in I'm A Celeb jungle for 'second time around'
Joey Essex said he was done with reality TV after his bruising appearance on Love Island, but today he posted footage of himself catching a tiny plane into the I'm A Celeb jungle. The star, 34, who appeared in the 2013, shared a video of himself walking over the show's famous rope bridge, writing: "Second time around in the jungle!"
However, in a hint that it wasn't the UK version he was heading to, the former TOWIE star wrote: "I'm A Celebrity Australia was litt." Joey, who has appeared in just about every TV series going, including Dancing on Ice, The Jump and Celebs Go Dating, first appeared on the Aussie version of the show in 2022. He was also seen wearing the red T-shirts that are worn in the Down Under series as he filmed himself walking over the swaying bridge.
Joey earlier shared footage of him catching a flight to the set, approaching a man and asking: "Are you my pilot? Respect. It's just you and me on the plane." He then gestured to the tiny jet on the tarmac, asking: "Is that the plane we're flying, no way!"
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The star appeared on the 13th series I'm A Celeb's UK series where he was best known for striking up a short-living romance with model and pageant queen Amy Willerton. He later made a late appearance in the Aussie version, where he is well known thanks to re-runs of TOWIE.
This summer Joey appeared on the British version of Love Island - another ITV success story that's sold around the world - where he struck up a romance with co-star Jessy Potts. However, they split a matter of weeks after leaving the show.
He also came under fire for his behaviour on the show, saying afterwards that he was planning to take a lengthy break from reality TV. Joey explained: "I feel like my journey in the Love Island villa might have been a bit that way, controversy, but at the end of the day not everyone is going to love you all of the time, obviously, I know the situation. Luckily, I'm strong-minded and very resilient."
Speaking on This Morning, he added: "I'm taking a huge break, you know, I feel like I've done every reality show possible now. I don't think I really want to do Strictly, I'm just taking a break and I've got some opportunities over in America at the moment so I feel like I maybe might take it over there."
The TV absence didn't last long. He popped up on Netflix's Selling Sunset just weeks later and now appears to be making a return to I'm A Celeb Australia, where he last finished in sixth place in 2022.
