Former I’m A Celebrity campmate Iain Lee has criticised the show’s “inadequate” aftercare system.
Iain made it through to the 2017 final, finishing in third place behind reality star Georgia Toffolo and soap star Jamie Lomas.
However, the TV and radio presenter – who has been open about his own mental health struggles in the past – has suggested he should have been offered more guidance both before and after taking part.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he explained: “The mental health care that you get before you go in is probably inadequate [and] when you come out it is definitely inadequate.”
Iain continued: “Sleep there was a nightmare. I’m a 6ft 4in man and for the most of it they put me in a hammock….
“You’d get to bed late at night if you were doing a midnight challenge… and then they’d wake you up ridiculously early to do the live show with Ant and Dec. You’d always have to look busy.”
“I get that that’s part of the show,” he added. “But not having sleep is dangerous. It’s a form of torture.”
Revealing the support he was offered by ITV, Iain said: “There certainly could have been more help. I think they paid for a couple of sessions to see my psychiatrist, which I would have seen anyway, and I had a phone call asking if I’d like to come in and I said I didn’t want to go in and that was that…
“Meanwhile I’m going off the rails and going nuts. Not as a direct result of the jungle but immediately after the jungle I went a little bit nuts.”
An I’m A Celebrity spokesperson told PA: “The safety and wellbeing of all of our campmates is our number one priority.
“All campmates have 24-hour access to both medical and psychological support during their stay in camp.”
A rep for the show later told HuffPost UK: “The duty of care of our contestants is of the utmost importance to us.
“We take the welfare of the celebrities very seriously and have measures in place to ensure they are supported at every stage of the process.”
The new series of I’m A Celebrity will debut on ITV this weekend, with Olympian-turned-reality-star-turned-activist Caitlyn Jenner, former Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle and broadcaster Kate Garraway among the famous faces taking part.
Find out how they all get on in Sunday night’s launch show, airing at 9pm on ITV.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.
