By Mike Bedigan, PA Los Angeles Correspondent
Boy George says he will try to avoid “pointless arguments” in the jungle during the upcoming series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The former Culture Club frontman (61) said he wanted to find space away from fellow campmates where he can do mindful practices including yoga and chanting.
He joins the ITV show as it returns to the Australian jungle, alongside other famous faces including Mike Tindall, Love Island star Olivia Attwood, as well as former Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
Boy George said he had been persuaded to join the show by its “charming” hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, and that it was not as “hostile” as in the past.
“TV is very different. I’ve always watched the show and it’s not as aggressive as it used to be,” he told The Sun newspaper.
“If you go back to when, say, Johnny Rotten was on it or Katie Price — that was really hostile and that’s not something I would have enjoyed.
“You don’t really know how you’re going to react but my appetite for pointless arguments is greatly diminished.”
He added: “I’m going to obviously do yoga and I chant… so I can hopefully find a space where I can do that because I think that will keep me more sane.”
We’re BACK down under with a host of brand new celebrities, ready to face the terrifying trials and tribulations of the jungle 🦘😱#ImACeleb returns this Sunday at 9pm on ITV, STV and ITV Hub. @antanddec pic.twitter.com/yf8LnMRWnc
— I'm A Celebrity... (@imacelebrity) October 31, 2022
The singer said he plans to be “as Boy Georgey as I can”, having previously revealed a customised look for the jungle – with large red polka dots sewn onto his khakis.
It comes as former Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley, former I’m A Celebrity… contestant and long-time friend of Boy George, wished him luck for the show
“I loved it [the show]. I loved every minute of it, but I’m not sure how George is… what he’s going to make of it, because trust me, you don’t get champagne when the cameras go off at nine o’clock,” he told the PA news agency.
“It’s tough in there. You get really hungry and it’s tough. But good luck to George. He’s a lovely guy.”
Hadley also commented on the decision of Matt Hancock, who continues to face criticism over signing up for the show, to enter the jungle, saying the former cabinet member had made a “big mistake”.
“I mean, he’s talking about ‘I’m going to talk about dyslexia’. Trust me. They’re not interested in dyslexia when you’re in the jungle,” he told PA.
“They’re interested in, you know, why he left his wife, why he was caught red-handed… They’re going to be going for that kind of thing.
“They want juicy gossip.”
It comes as comedian Babatunde Aleshe pulled out of the first challenge of the series in which the stars had to walk out on planks suspended from a 32-storey building overlooking the Gold Coast, according to The Sun.
The 36-year-old, who has appeared on shows including Celebrity Gogglebox and Soccer AM, spent 45 minutes deliberating before withdrawing from the task, called Walk The Plank.
