He may have been crowned King of the Jungle, but Matt Willis has revealed that he regrets having taken part in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!. Nearly two decades on, the Busted member has called his stint a “mistake”.
The musician won the sixth season of the ITV reality series back in 2006, beating stiff competition in the shape of Myleene Klass and Jason Donovan as he emerged as a surprise victor following a public vote.
Despite his crowning moment, Willis explained that he took part in the show to promote his solo career following the dissolution of Busted, but said that the move backfired after people became more interested in his time in the jungle than his music career.
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“I was thinking of a time when I lost my own narrative. And the one thing that springs to mind the most was leaving I’m a Celebrity,” he said on his own podcast, On The Mend. “I was in a pretty bad place.
“The record company basically wasn’t going to release my solo album… They said, ‘You’ve got to do something to raise your profile. Will you go on I’m a Celebrity?’ I went, ‘Yep, absolutely. Anything, please release my album!'”
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“Once I came out of that show, I realised no one cared that I had a record out. Everywhere I went, they just wanted to talk about I’m a Celebrity. And it really bummed me out,” he continued.
“Before I went on that show, I was only really famous to Busted fans. Then I came out and everyone knew who I was. When you’re in [an] active addiction – which I was at the time – and you just want to hide, that’s the worst thing that can happen.
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“Suddenly there were paps everywhere I went. I’d get in a cab and the driver would say, ‘Hello Matt’. It was such a weird experience. It was probably a bit of a mistake going on that show.”
While Willis doesn’t have the fondest memories of his time on I’m a Celebrity, the reality series will return next month with its 25th season, with the rumoured cast members including soap stars Lisa Riley and Shona McGarty.
I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
Read more I’m a Celebrity news on our dedicated homepage
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.