Daddy's girl Stacey Solomon returns to British shores after being crowned Queen of the Jungle... looking rather orange

By Georgina Littlejohn



Daddy! Stacey Solomon leaps into her father David's arms as she arrived back into the UK from Australia this morning


Having spent three weeks sleeping rough, eating bugs and putting up with her camp mates' antics, it's hardly surprising that Stacey Solomon was so happy to be back home.

And she proved that she is every inch a Daddy's girl as she ran into her father David's arms upon landing in London this morning.

But the 21-year-old I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner, who was crowed Queen of the Jungle on Saturday night, was so disappointed by the rainy weather in Australia, that she appeared to have resorted to fake tan to get a healthy glow.

However, the result was that the former X Factor winner looked rather orange as she greeted her father, stepsister and her sister Jemma at the airport.


I've missed you! Stacey beams as David kisses her and engulfs her and son Zach in a bear hug


Stacey flew back from Australia's Gold Coast with her two-year-old son Zach, her mother Fiona and boyfriend Aaron Barnham, who had travelled with her Down Under to be there to greet her when she left the jungle.

The singer also looked slimmer than ever, after losing half a stone during her time in the jungle.

But while she said she enjoyed her time in the jungle, she admits she wouldn't take on the task again.

She told new! magazine: 'I would never do it again. But I would recommend it. I’ve never lived anywhere as beautiful as that place.'


Good to have you home: David picks up his grandson and then shares a hug with his daughter


Good to be home: Stacey looked happy but tired as she, son Zach and boyfriend Aaron walked through arrivals


And Stacey's family all looked delighted to see their missing member as they posed for pictures in the airport before they drove off home to Dagenham in their native Essex.

She was closely followed out of the airport by her jungle camp mates Britt Ekland - who was reunited with her pet Chihuahua Tequila, Sheryl Gascoigne and Linford Christie and runner-up Shaun Ryder.

Stacey shot to fame last year when she came third on the X Factor behind Olly Murs and winner Joe McElderry.


Reunited: Stacey, looking very tanned, poses with her stepsister, father David, son Zach, sister Jemma and mother Fiona


Queen of the Jungle: Stacey Solomon looks delighted as she is named the winner of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!


On Saturday she was crowned queen of the jungle after beating Shaun Ryder in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

The single mother, known as the 'diva from Dagenham', had been the bookies favourite to win since the 10th series began on November 14.

The 21-year-old broke down in tears and hugged former Happy Mondays singer Shaun, 48, when she was named winner of this year's show.


Happy Tuesday: Runner-up Shaun Ryder looked pleased to be home as he arrived at Heathrow with wife Joanne and daughter Pearl


Long haul: Britt Ekland is reunited with her pet Chihuahua and is closely followed by Sheryl Gascoigne off the flight from Australia


Homeward bound: Linford Christie arrives in London with daughter Brianna who travelled out to Australia with him



Source:Dailymail

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She may not be much of a celebrity. But smiley Stacey has proved Essex girls are no joke

By Liz Jones



Doting: New queen of the jungle Stacey Solomon with her son Zach, two


The first words that flew out of Stacey Solomon’s wide mouth as she was parachuted from a plane to join the other celebrities in the Australian rainforest were typical: ‘I’m the luckiest girl in the world!’ No hysteria, no vanity, no cod heroics, just pure, unadulterated joy and gratitude.

There were no crocodile tears during the three weeks Stacey inhabited the I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! jungle; merely a desire to grasp life with both French-manicured hands.

‘Lord only knows I’m annoying, so thank you for having me,’ she said as she accepted her crown. And with those words, a brand-new star was born.


Why do I love Stacey? Can I count the ways? There is no artifice about her, no vanity at all — she described her special skill on entering the show as ‘talking’. No chip on those gloriously broad shoulders (unlike Cheryl Cole, who felt the need to tick off a contestant on The X Factor for daring to highlight her working-class roots).

When Stacey was crowned Queen Of The Jungle on Saturday night, having brought fellow finalist Shaun Ryder out of his shell (her presence was like a deliriously sunny, ripe peach placed under the nostrils of a particularly recalcitrant tortoise), she was shown clips of her best moments on the show, and could only exclaim how hideously unattractive she looked.

As she hugged the other stars, she warned them disingenuously about her dodgy breath. What a breath of fresh air (probably an ­inappropriate analogy) that here was a young woman, who, despite her working-class roots and hunger for fame, was not all about false eyelashes, It-bags, and finding fun in the ­bottom of a vodka shot.


Queen of the jungle: The down-to-earth contestant can now look forward to a lucrative career ahead of her


She is an unlikely modern-day heroine, not least because she was born of that most vulgar of the decade’s inventions — reality TV. Yet unlike many so-called celebrities who have emerged from the same cocoon, she has remained as true to her working-class roots as the day she was born.

Before coming third on last year’s X Factor, she worked behind the counter at her local chippy, Oh My Cod. Stacey knows how hard real life can be, and does not want to go back to it. That’s why she is grateful for every opportunity her TV career gives her — even if it does mean eating the odd witchety grub.


Not for her the anger and unedifying moments of spite and resentment displayed by her predecessor, the tragic, late Jade Goody. Stacey will laugh and chatter her way through everything. Why ponder the darker side of life too much?

Who can forget when, on reaching the finals of The X Factor last year, she was asked what she would do if she didn’t make it. With her big beaming smile and trademark foghorn, she screeched: ‘There’s always Asda!’ Quite simply, she oozed an old-fashioned, natural high. Surely the best kind there is.

Stacey Solomon was brought up in Dagenham, Essex, a place formerly only famous for its car factories. She has a two-year-old son, Zach, with ex-boyfriend Dean Cox.

‘Where is my baby? I want to see my baby!’ she kept asking Ant and Dec as the fireworks were set off, and the closing credits started to roll. There has never been a winner who garnered more votes from the public, or such high praise from her fellow contestants.

To me, the reason she stole our hearts is pure and simple: she’s an Essex girl. I was born in Chelmsford, the county town, went to school in Brentwood, and spent my teenage years hanging out in dodgy nightclubs in Southend-on-Sea. I was Miss Talk of the South 1975 — and by 1979 I was living in London’s Barbican working as a sub-editor on a glossy magazine.

I guess that tells you something about us Essex girls: we are fiercely proud of our roots but desperate to leave them behind.


Good sport: Stacey during one of her horrific tasks in the jungle


The most exciting thing I ever found to do was to trawl Romford Market on a Saturday afternoon, which is why anyone born in Essex is desperate to make it to the ­capital, so tantalisingly close is it, just down the dreadful A12.

Why are Essex girls the best in the world? Essex girls’ dreams are more vivid than anyone else’s because the county itself is so monochrome: ­Sixties concrete high-rises, endless roundabouts and housing estates. The beach at Southend is ­comprised of mud.

For Stacey, Liverpool Street station was the shining gateway to success, a new life away from shopping precincts and dead-end jobs.

As well as ambition, Essex girls have a great sense of humour, developed after generations of being the butt of jokes, and a real desire for luxury. After all, we invented chavdom, a much-maligned quality — but all it means is we want a better life.

We are grafters, too, and independent: we have had to be, given that Essex boys, the randiest boys in the world, love fast cars, copious amounts of cologne, earrings and putting their feet up.


Off to the lap of luxury: Stacey and her son are escorted by a minder after she was announced as the winner of the show


Essex boys are charmers, and can lead a nice girl like Stacey down the garden path. It’s nice to see she is now in a happy relationship, with new boyfriend Aaron Barnham, a painter and decorator.

Stacey is a throw-back, the last of a breed we thought had gone out with food rationing and gas masks, the stoicism of the Cockneys who moved north after the Blitz coursing through her veins.

Is Stacey a good role model? Most definitely, despite her admitting in the jungle that she believes reading gossip magazines to be as rewarding as reading books, because ‘it’s all stories, I love to see what a celebrity is wearing, and what their house is like’. You can tell Stacey is not ignorant in the way Jade Goody was.


While Rebecca Ferguson, another thoroughly nice single mum from Liverpool who looks poised to win The X Factor next weekend, is much more talented and beautiful than Stacey, it is Stacey’s very ­British brand of ordinariness that has made even Middle Englanders embrace her.

She might have very little talent, but who cares? Aren’t you, like me, a little tired of all these wannabes, giving it 200 per cent?

Stacey is a natural, and she’s nice, surely a far rarer quality than being able to top the iTunes charts these days.

And what better example for young women than to see someone laughing all the time, rather than moaning and whinging.

Stacey never once gossiped about anyone, or tried to impress (I loved it when she first met Linford Christie and exclaimed: ‘I wanna race you!’), but always tried to see the best in them.

She warmed my cold winter ­evenings like a bowl of creamy porridge. I was so angry when Gillian McKeith made her cry. It was as unnecessary and shocking an act, surely, as placing a kitten in a wheelie bin.

What do I hope Stacey does next? I’d love to see her play Eliza Doolittle on the West End stage, but in real life I don’t want to see her Henry ’Igginsed. I hope she finds success.

She is not calculating, in the way the dreadful Myleene Klass was when she, too, donned a bikini to wash under the waterfall in the jungle. While Myleene was doing mental arithmetic, wondering how much the exposure of her breasts would earn her in a future lingerie campaign, you could see Stacey was just thinking: ‘Oh my God, I stink!’

I really hope Stacey makes it to a mock-tudor mansion in Loughton, where she will zoom around Epping Forest in an open-top car, singing at the top of those lovely lungs, saying, ‘Oooh, I dunno!’ at every opportunity, purchasing leopard-print ­cushions and Versace outfits, living the dream we all dreamed.



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I'm A Celebrity: Stacey Solomon crowned queen of the jungle

By Emily Sheridan



Queen of the Jungle: Stacey Solomon looks delighted as she is named the winner of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!


Singer Stacey Solomon has been crowned queen of the jungle after beating Shaun Ryder in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

The single mother, known as the 'diva from Dagenham' after coming third in X Factor last year, had been the bookies favourite to win since the 10th series began on November 14.

The 21-year-old broke down in tears and hugged former Happy Mondays singer Shaun, 48, when she was named winner of this year's show.


I did it! Stacey throws her hands in the air in celebration as she poses for the cameras upon leaving the jungle camp


After being crowned by Caroline Flack, the down-to-earth apologised for her 'bad breath'.

Clearly stunned by winning the show, she said: 'What the hell just happened? Thank you so much, I dunno what to say.'

She then ran over the bridge to be reunited with her boyfriend Aaron Barnham, son Zach and mum Fiona.


Diva from Dagenham: But Stacey's down-to-earth and positive attitude won over camp mates and viewers


Shock: Stacey admitted she was 'lost for words' after beating runner-up Shaun Ryder


Reflecting on her time in the jungle before finding out she had won, Stacey enthused: 'I've had the best time ever and Lord only knows I'm annoying so thank you for having me.'

And she said she loved the Celebrity Cyclone and Super Scario trials and could not wait to watch them back.

She said: 'They were wicked and no bugs. I've eaten brain and cockroach, real Bushtucker, I never turned down a trial, I just thought, "you can do it".

'I was really scared because you have to get the food, it's such huge pressure. I never thought I could actually do them, I didn't ever think I could do it and I can't believe that I did.


Hugs all round: Stacey is reunited with her son Zach and fellow contestant Gillian McKeith


'I've found the trials a lot harder than what I thought, everything made me a nervous wreck at every trial. I never want to do another Bushtucker trial ever again.'

She added: 'The funniest moment for me was the stone throw (to Joly).

'My most frustrating moment was trying to explain to Ms McKeith why she was disqualified from one of the kangaroo courts.'

Shaun was also a popular contestant and proved his 'hardman' credentials by famously keeping his cool when he was bitten by a snake during an overnight trial.


Reunited: A tearful Stacey hugs her boyfriend Aaron Barnham


Down to earth: Stacey apologised for her 'bad breath' after she was crowned by Caroline Flack - who presents ITV2 spin-off I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here Now


Reflecting on the bite, he said: 'I wanted to pull it out and smash it to bits... but it's an animal.'

Addressing his stormy relationship with Gillian McKeith, he admitted: 'Gillian's me, me, me, me... people like that really bug me.

'It was a series of things that built up.'

He acknowledged it was a 'turning point' when Gillian was voted off, describing it as 'fantastic'.

He admitted 'never in a million years' would he believed he would have lasted until the final.


Be patient: Stacey had to be covered in a 'sham-poo' of meal worms and crickets for 30 seconds during the last Bushtucker Trial


Keeping his cool: Shaun tries to relax as he's showered with 'cockroach conditioner'


The winner was unveiled after the two finalists went head-to-head in the last live Bucktucker Trial, entitled the 'Bush Spa'.

They were warned they would have to put up with being covered in various jungle critters and insects for 30 seconds at a time, with former campmates Dom Joly and Lembit Opik being punished by being covered in slime if either of them failed.

The pair started off in hairdressers chairs, with Stacey receiving a 'sham-poo' by having her head covered in meal worms and crickets while Shaun kept his cool during his 'cockroach conditioner'.


Eeeeeek: Stacey had a biting ant manicure and a yabbie pedicure


Next up, a screaming Stacey just about managed to last 30 seconds during her pedicure of yabbies and biting ants.

Shaun also successfully endured the rat sauna, but admitted he was concerned the vermin would be attracted to a bleeding wound on his leg.

All of this year's campmates were back in the studio to see Stacey being crowned queen of the jungle, including Alison Hammond, Aggro Santos, Kayla Collins, Linford Christie, Sheryl Gascoigne, Britt Ekland and Jenny Eclair - who finished in was third place on Friday's show.


Relieved: Dom Joly and Lembit Opik faced the prospect of being covered in gunge if Stacey and Shaun failed the Bushtucker Trial


The gang's all here: Their former campmates Britt Ekland, Alison Hammond, Dom, Lembit, Gillian McKeith, Jenny Eclair, Aggro Santos, Kayla Collins, Linford Christie and Sheryl Gascoigne were all back





Source:Dailymail

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I'm A Celebrity 2010: Kayla Collins and Dom Joly sent packing in double eviction

By Chris Johnson



Eliminated: Kayla Collins and Dom Joly were given the chop in I'm A Celebrity's double eviction last night


Kayla Collins and Dom Joly were sent packing from the jungle tonight in a double eviction.

The pair's exit leaves Stacey Solomon, Jenny Eclair and Shaun Ryder to battle it out for the I'm A Celebrity crown.

One more celebrity will be given the boot on Friday's show ahead of Saturday's final.


Moment of truth: Kayla reacts with delight after being given the news. She was the first to go in the double cull before Dom was given his marching orders next


Playboy model Kayla, 23, was the first to be given the chop tonight, shortly followed by comedian Dom, 43.

And both agreed in their exit interviews that former X Factor finalists Stacey, 21, should win the show.

Kayla said Stacey should be crowned Queen of the Jungle because she is 'an amazing person inside and out' while Dom described her as 'an extraordinary individual'.

In her exit interview Kayla said she was delighted to be leaving the camp, saying she missed her 'big giant comfy bed'.


Ready for some luxury: Speaking to host Ant and Dec, Kayla said she wants Stacey Solomon to be crowned Queen of the Jungle in Saturday's final


I so nearly quit: Dom said he was glad he stuck it out and made the final five


In recent days the model has been feeling the strain as torrential rain took its toll on the campmates.

She also lost a task to win a letter from home and had to watch it burn in front of her while most of her fellow contestants - bar Dom - got to read theirs. Kayla described it as a 'terrible day'.

Describing her fractious relationship with Dom, she played things down saying: 'We were fine,' but agreed he was opinionated.

Dom told hosts Ant and Dec in his interview: 'I nearly walked so many times.'


Comedy face-off: After Kayla's exit, it was between Dom and fellow comedian Jenny Eclair as Ant and Dec announced the second eviction of the night


Delighted: Dom waltzed off into the lap of luxury, leaving Jenny, Stacey and Shaun to battle for the jungle crown


And saying he was glad he made the final five he added: 'It was way tougher than I expected [taking part in the show]. I've watched this show so many times. But it was harder than it looks.'

Earlier viewers saw all the remaining five contestants take part in the Celebrity Cyclone challenge.

The Bushtucker trial saw them pitted against a variety of onslaughts including huge wind fans, blasts from high pressure hoses, masses of ball-pool balls and Swiss balls.

Dressed in Wonder Man and Wonder Woman outfits, the team managed to win all five stars on the task.


Jungle Jane: Jenny Eclair swings into action for the Celebrity Cyclone Bushtucker trial, which saw all five contestants take part, from left Shaun Ryder, Stacey Solomon, Kayla Collins and Dom Joly


Together, the celebs performed a relay to get the star on markers, where they had to stay until the end of the 10-minute trial.

Showing she was a proper Jungle Jane, Jenny Eclair started proceedings by swinging over a water-filled gully and crawled to the first marker clutching all the stars, battling against gusts from the wind machine.

With his pink cape flowing behind him Shaun collected four stars from Jenny and battled his way to the second marker.


Soaked to the skin: The celebrities operated in a relay and had to get the stars on five separate markers as they were battered by giant wind machines and torrents of water


This isn't easy: Stacey and Kayla attempt to keep a star in place on the slippery slope


Then, with Swiss balls and torrents of water being blasted at her, Stacey collected the four from Shaun but dropped one while trying to fight against the elements.

She took the remaining three to her marker. With Star Wars music playing Dom took to the swing rope, picked up the star from the gulley and crawled across the fast flowing water slippery floor towards his star.

With less than a minute to go and still being bombarded with water jets, wind blasts and flying balls, a gushing torrent of water was released down the giant slide which sent all the celebrities flying off their markers and back to the start of the course.

Slipping and sliding everywhere, it was a case of one last huge effort and the celebrities drew on their inner strengths and raced back to their markers with their stars.


Dressing the part: Former Playboy model Kayla was decked out in her
favourite 'monokini' underneath her Wonder Woman outfit


Ant said: 'Well done that was good team work, you’ve won 5 stars.'

Shaun was not a big fan of the challenge, exclaiming in some choice words that he looked ridiculous in his outfit.

But he preferred the next task of the day when he took on the Celebrity Chest with Stacey, saying it was better than 'fannying around in a cape' for the Bush Tucker Trial.


Staying put: With her goggles in place, Stacey appears quite amused, but she lost her cape midway through the challenge


This time, Shaun and Stacey were pitted against a heart of goats fro the task Ring My Bell.

The musical task saw them have to identify the sounds from the five hanging bells and match them to the bells on ten goats.

The bells around the goats necks had a number which formed a combination to release the chest.


Here comes Tarzan: Dom Joly gets into the swing of things as he springs into action


Team work: Jenny, who started off the challenge, was shortly followed by Shaun, who was not impressed at having to dress up


But a confused Shaun had to take directions from Stacey as he struggled to work out what they had to do.

'I just did what I was told, as you do with women,' he commented.

A tentative Stacey was apprehensive at first saying ''There was loads of goats in this thing and one of them was the angriest one I’ve ever seen… That goat looks evil.'


Good show: Together the five contestants managed to win all five stars in the Bushtucker


But she quickly got into her stride as she chased the goats identifying the bells, whilst a bemused Shaun tried to keep up.

The pair eventually managed to successfully completed the challenge and release the chest.

Then, after answering the a question correctly, they won the contents - champagne and strawberries.


More fun: Later Stacey and Shaun tackled the Celebrity Chest task, Ring My Bell, which saw them have to chase around after a heard of goats


Hitting the right note: They had to match the bells to the goats after hearing musical clips in order to break the code to release the chest. They were later rewarded with champagne and strawberries for their efforts


Although Stacey wasn't impressed, saying: 'I hate champagne, it tastes like wee bubbles so it’s all yours!'

The question was 'What is the cumulative age of all the celebrities who have left the show.' The celebrities answered 375 years, which was on the money.

Elsewhere, the contestants were disgruntled about having to play another game - muffin roulette.

But when they heard the prize was a round of beers the mood picked up.

A roulette wheel was placed in the camp with ten muffins. If the arrow landed on their name the celebrity had to eat the muffin - some of which were tasty while others were filled with chilli, peppers, mustard and anchovy sauce.

Jenny had to eat four of them. 'Back to a size 14 in one night,' she moaned.


Mystery filling: The games kept on coming as the contestants were tasked with playing muffin roulette to win beer - but some of the cakes had nasty fillings, including chilli, mustard and anchovy sauce


Take your pick: After scoffing down four, Jenny complained that she would put on weight



Source:Dailymail

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I'm A Celebrity 2010: Stacey Solomon rinses down in the jungle pool in pink bikini after being sprayed with bugs in Bushtucker trial

By Chris Johnson



Time for a wash: Stacey Solomon takes to the jungle pool in a pink bikini after taking part in another gruesome Bushtucker trial


Stacey Solomon was certainly in need of a good wash following her latest bug-infested Bushtucker trail.

And the 21-year-old mother of one certainly didn't waste any time stripping down to her pink bikini for a rinse down after her gruelling ordeal.

The former X Factor contestant appropriately took part in the challenge 'Star In Their Pies', a play on the singing talent show Star In Their Eyes.


All clean now: The former X Factor contestant wrings out her hair after taking a refreshing dip


But the usually plucky camper performed only managed to retrieve three out of the six stars available.

For the challenge, Stacey was sat in a giant pie base and was transported along a conveyor belt factory line, while disgusting things were slopped in.

The singer had to search for stars in among the ingredients which included offal, meal worms, cockroaches and vegetables.

'Get me in the pie, I’m really excited, let’s do it,' she cried.


Yuck: Earlier she took part in the Stars In Their Pies challenge which saw her have to retrieve stars from a giant pie as all manner of bugs were poured in


As she sat in the pie the first challenge was to empty three bags containing meat and offal into the pie.

But as she opened one bag the star fell to the outside of the crust which mean she could only now get five of the six available stars.

She was transported on the moving tracks around the factory to a vegetable tip containing cockroaches and crickets in among the veggies but she managed to get the star.


Brace yourself: Stacey gets a blast of jungle nasties as she takes part in the trial, winning three out of a possible six stars


Foul: Goo comes flowing in out of pipe as Stacey desperately searches around


At the third station she had to unscrew the end of a tube and meal worms and cockroaches poured down but she managed to pluck out the star giving her two out of six.

'I’ll never eat pie again', she squealed. She then had pepper blown through a wind tunnel at her.

Ant said: 'You’ve now got to have a bit of gravy with your pie, we are northern and we love a bit of gravy.'

As the glutinous gravy poured down the chute, Stacey managed to grab another star.


Revealing: The camper donned a low cut pink top for her challenge and wore goggles to protect her eyes


Close call: Stacey tried to bite hold of a star but failed, despite later commenting she had a 'big enough mouth'


No pie is worth its salt without a crust and the topping was lowered on to the base and Stacey was told she could not use her hands but had to get the final two stars using only her mouth.

An egg glaze showered down on her and Stacey complained it stank. She ran out of time getting the first star and then used her hand to put the second star in her mouth which therefore didn’t count.

'I just couldn’t get the stars in my mouth, I know you were thinking she’s got a big enough mouth why couldn’t she get it in,' she said to Ant and Dec.


Closed in: At the end of a trial a huge pie lid was lowered on top, meaning Stacey was not allowed to use her hands and had to try to retrieve the stars with her mouth


'I’m gutted to only get three stars, I might as well just go and kill myself!'

She told her fellow celebrities on returning to camp: 'It wasn’t hard, I was just poo.

'I thought it would be a piece of cake but it just went past my face… it was so disgusting. I thought ‘thank your daddy for the big teeth and big mouth’ but they didn’t come in handy.'





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