Mike Tindall breaks silence on becoming first royal to enter I’m A Celebrity jungle after arriving in Australia
MIKE Tindall has landed in Australia ready to become the first Royal to ever take part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
The former England rugby ace, 43, arrived at Brisbane airport on a red eye flight from London, and said he'd miss his royal family while in camp.
Mike is married to the late Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips, making him the long-running show’s first-ever Royal Family signing.
Wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, Mike told The Sun: "It’s probably one of the longest times we’ve been away completely with no communication. When you go away you still have communication, so that’s obviously going to be the hardest bit.
"You've just got to get your head around doing what you’re doing and try and win some stars and stuff and see where you go from there. I want to win stars because I want to eat!
"The hanger is always going to be the biggest thing you have got to worry about but I’ve also got three kids, so dealing with lack of sleep comes with the territory.”
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And he shared that Australia held a special place in his heart.
He said: "Australia is a special place yeah, I met Zara in Sydney. There is no holiday planned at the moment afterwards. "
Asked how his royal wife felt about the show, Mike went on: "She is fine, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it would I?
"I was always on the fence but I do think it will be good fun at the end of the day. That is the other thing, I like groups of people and I like things that can be good fun so let’s see. I might regret it."
His role on the show means that, if successful, Mike could be 'King of the Jungle' before King Charles' coronation.
But the dad-of-three laughed: "I’m not really thinking about that to be honest."
He added that he had "no idea" if Princes William and Harry would be tuning in to watch him face Bushtucker Trials.
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Mike joins the stars who have already arrived on the Gold Coast ready to meet Ant and Dec in the jungle camp, including radio DJ Chris Moyles and Love Island's Olivia Attwood.
It isn't the first time the Royal has appeared on an entertainment show, with him taking to the slopes for Channel 4's The Jump and Bear Grylls' Mission Survive in 2015.
But told it was the first big reality series a royal had done since It's A Knockout, he added: "No one said that when I did Bear Grylls and The Jump and I just do things I think will be fun."
Mike was a member of the English rugby team when they won the World Cup in 2003 and won 75 international caps and scored 14 tries during his staggering 17 year career.
He married Zara in 2011 at Canongate Kirk on Edinburgh's Royal Mile and the couple now live at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire with their children Mia, eight, Lena, four, one-year-old Lucas.
Mike retired from rugby in 2014 and was awarded an MBE in 2007 for his services to sport.
Today pictures revealed show crew members assembling the famous Walk the Plank trial on top of a high rise on the Gold Coast.
It appears there will be a twist this year as the photos show three platforms instead of two.
The new stars competing to become king or queen of the jungle will be forced to face their fears when the show returns on 6 November by walking to the end of the platforms suspended 32-storeys in the air.
We previously told how the stars have been given mental health MOTs to make sure they don’t crack under the pressure cooker atmosphere of the show.
This included divulging any previous mental health issues and admitting to any booze and drugs problems.
The campmates – including Corrie star Sue Cleaver and Loose Women star Charlene White – have all undergone strict processes.
They were checked to see if they could withstand the stress of being sleep-deprived, the pressure of the team trials and being apart from their loved ones.
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Celebs were asked about their fears, phobias and anxieties and what triggers problems or episodes.
They were also asked to talk about any mental health problems, plus any addictions and details of medication they are taking or have taken.
