Ashley Roberts returns to the I’m A Celebrity camp 14 years after she finished runner-up on the show Down Under and she will rejoin former stars as she bids to go one better
15:19, 06 Apr 2026Updated 15:19, 06 Apr 2026
Ashley Roberts is returning to I’m A Celeb
Ashley Roberts’ second stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle is here after she headed to South Africa 2012. The songstress, now 44, finished runner-up in her camp behind EastEnders star Charlie Brooks.
And while she will be reappearing alongside former campmate David Haye, who finished in third, the former Pussycat Dolls star will be hoping to go one better this time around.
The second series of the ITVspin-off, which features some of the show’s most memorable campmates, is set to launch tonight (Monday, April 6) and Ashley labelled her comeback a “no brainer”.
Hosts Ant McPartlinand Declan Donnellywill join the returning stars in the South African jungle for some of the biggest trials in I’m A Celebrity… history. Away from the small screen, Ashley has had a lot of eyes on her for other reasons too…
Ashley Roberts has been linked with a number of high-profile romances over the years. A year after her first I’m A Celebrity experience, the American was rumoured to have been dating the show’s host, Dec.
While the rumours were never concrete, they were spotted together and Roberts admitted to “getting to know” him. Dec has since married talent manager Ali Astall, with the pair tying the knot in 2015.
Ryan Fletcher romance
A year after the Dec rumours, Ashley had moved on to fellow musician, Ryan Fletcher. The bassist for pop-rock band Lawson dated the Pussycat Dolls star in 2014, but their romance was short lived.
The pair were spotted at the time looking affectionate at a Justin Timberlake concert in London. Despite previously claiming to be just friends, the guitarist confirmed their relationship months later. He told us at the time: “Ashley and I are great – I’m loving it at the moment. It doesn’t feel like we’re in the spotlight and we see each other when we can.
“We are both really busy so we make the most of the time we get together. We just don’t think about everyone watching us and just get on with it.” Sadly for the pair, the flame fizzled out and they’re romance ended shortly after.
Giovanni Pernice relationship
The former Strictly star was all loved up with Ashley between 2018 and 2020. The duo met on the popular BBC dance show and quickly became an item.
The grew close in rehearsals, but managed kept their relationship a secret until after the show ended. Ashley was paired with pro Pasha Kovalev on the series, while Giovanni was teamed up with Steps star Faye Tozer.
The Italian announced the shock split in a tweet at the time, writing: “@ImAshleyRoberts and I have made the decision to separate as a couple. We remain friends and wish each other well for the future.”
He had previously gushed: “I never thought anyone would ever make me smile, laugh and steal my heart as fast as you did !! I love you amore.”
Pussycat Dolls feud
Five years after the group’s previous comeback was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic and a brutal feud, Ashley is part of the plans to bring the band back together. However, three members won’t be joining as an ongoing feud ensues.
In 2012, Ashley and Kimberly Wyatt sensationally quit the group, with Kimberly blasting Nicole Scherzinger in a scathing statement. While Kimberly claimed Nicole was “no friend of hers,” Ashley was a bit more tactful with her exit.
She said at the time on her official website: “Yes, I have left the Pussycat Dolls..I love you all sooo much!!! I am so grateful to have the love and support of all of you. It was an amazing ride and I learned so much!
“I am currently have gotten the acting bug and am falling in love with it. I have a few projects in the works and when ready I will announce more details to all of you.”
And it appears her polite exit has helped with the reunion. Nicole, Ashley and Kimberly will all return to the stage, but without Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta or Carmit Bachar.
Helen Flanagan says ‘there are three exes I would be dreading to see’ as she is set to return to television screens soon as part of the Celebrity Ex On The Beach lineup
Jessica Clarke Digital Reporter
23:02, 22 Mar 2026
Celebrity Ex On The Beach is set to return to television screens soon, with the full line-up now revealed
Helen Flanagan has opened up about her fears after joining Celebrity Ex On The Beach, revealing she would love to avoid seeing ‘three’ of her exes as she prepares to star on a reality series.
Celebrity Ex On The Beach is set to return to television screens soon, with the full line-up now revealed, featuring the former Coronation Street favourite. Helen, 35, who is renowned for her portrayal of Rosie Webster on the ITV soap opera, has joined the cast of the Paramount+ reality series, alongside TOWIE’s Dani Imbert, one-half of pop duo Jedward, and Love Island’s Toby Aromolaran.
In a new sneak peek ahead of the show, Helen reveals why she signed up and what she is looking for in a man. She said: “My perfect partner would be fit, kind and funny.” She continued: “I think I’m single because I feel like I’m on my own kind of journey, I’m pretty free spirited [and] I’ve got quite a strong character.”
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Helen said she was “hoping to find a connection on the beach”, before discussing her past relationships. She said: “I was in a 13-year relationship with the father of my children. And then I recently split up with a boyfriend that I was with for a year,” she said.
Helen then revealed: “There are… three exes I would be dreading to see”. Helen and Scott first began dating in 2009, getting engaged in 2018 when the footballer proposed during a trip to Disneyland Paris. They had a lengthy engagement, with Helen confirming in 2022 that they had set a date for their wedding, but split shortly afterwards.
Speaking about the difficult time she faced after the end of her relationship, Helen previously told The Mirror that she suffered a breakdown.
The I’m A Celebrity star was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
On the explosive dating show, filmed in Tenerife, Helen will come face-to-face with her former flames, including her ex-fiancé Scott Sinclair and boxer David Haye. The forthcoming series will also feature Married At First Sight UK’s Amy Kenyon, 28, and Love Is Blind participant Freddie Powell, 32.
Rounding out the line-up are Too Hot To Handle’s Izzy Fairthorne, 26, who is seeking her first-ever boyfriend, and fellow contestant Chase DeMoor, 29, who’s back for a second shot at finding love.
Meanwhile, former X Factor star John Grimes, who previously appeared on the ITV talent show alongside his twin brother, has described himself as a ‘total catch’ and says he’s looking for a ‘curvy, self-assured woman’ who can match his energy.
WHEN Gaz Beadle and Emma McVey announced their split in 2023, their fans were shocked.
Geordie Shore lothario Gaz had always described the model, who he had two children with, as his ‘rock’. But, just months after she underwent heart surgery, Gaz announced their eight-year relationship was over. Now, insiders tell us tension has been bubbling behind the scenes.
Gary Beadle and Emma McVey fell for each other in 2016 but it wasn’t an easy startGaz Beadle is now expecting a baby with his new girlfriendCredit: Instagram
Things are said to have reached boiling point after Gaz announced he was expecting a baby with his new girlfriend, Maia, 13 years his junior.
Our insider says: “Gaz and Emma have both moved on and are in happy, loving relationships with new people.
“But fans have noticed there is a level of competitiveness between them, and they seem to be trying to outdo each other.
“Emma got engaged, and then Gary announced he was having a baby. It was a huge shock and very eye-opening.
“She feels like she has a very small group of loyal friends, and exactly who they are has become very clear since her split from Gary.”
It’s certainly not the first time Emma has been blindsided by Gaz – she was shocked when he announced they had split during a Q&A with fans.
He casually revealed they had split three weeks prior and insisted there was no bad blood between the couple, who share kids Chester, eight, and Primrose, six.
Sources said Emma felt it was ‘unfair’ and was keen to announce it to her own followers herself.
She didn’t shy away from how hard the breakup was, in contrast to Gaz’s laissez-faire attitude.
In a heartbreaking post, she told her followers: “It’s been really hard for me and the kids to be separated. There’s been a lot of crying on FaceTime, which really breaks my heart.
“I’ve been numb and focusing on my children while still trying to work. I’ve honestly not known what to say. I’m hoping this will get easier in time.
“Sending so much love to anyone going through something similar, and thank you so much to everyone who has been checking in on me.”
If Gary took them to the park, the next week Emma took them to a theme park
Our insider
And when she moved on with a new man and a fan accused her of being unfaithful, she shot back with a jibe that appeared to be aimed at Gary: “I was unfaithful? What with someone I met 7 months after my separation? No darlin, you clearly have NO IDEA who was unfaithful.”
Our insider continued: “There was tension from the get-go but they masked it pretty well. They both doted on their kids whenever they had them, but fans noticed how they often posted competing snaps. If Gary took them to the park, the next week Emma took them to a theme park.”
Cheating allegations
Emma and Gaz first started dating in 2016, but just a year later, they called time on their relationship, with Emma accusing Gaz of cheating and dumping her by text.
She ranted: “When he’s been filming Geordie Shore, he decided to send me a TEXT ending things, telling me to move my stuff out of OUR home that I furnished and paid for without explanation.
Emma has also moved on and is engaged to James StaszewskyCredit: InstagramHer marriage to Gaz ended in 2023 – two years after they said I DoCredit: Sophie Eleanor Photography
“After begging me to go to Australia with him and making me leave my career, I still find out he still managed to cheat on me throughout our relationship and continually lie.”
But the pair reconciled, and in 2017, they announced they were having a baby. Their son Chester was born in January 2018, and their second child, a daughter named Primrose, was born in December 2019.
Gary popped the question while she was pregnant with baby number two – the whole thing was filmed.
They tied the knot in 2021 in front of 90 guests and their kids in Cheshire.
Bedding 1000 women
Gary appeared to be a very different man – his wild Geordie Shore days were well in the past.
He once boasted about sleeping with over 1000 women – his tumultuous relationship with Charlotte Crosby was well documented – but after quitting the show in 2017, he turned his life around.
He told us previously: “My life couldn’t be more different.
“My DM’s have changed dramatically, I can tell you that. It’s gone from mum’s wanting to shag me to mums and dads talking about colic, acid reflux, nappies, and bath toys.
“I had ten-years of partying and doing whatever I wanted. I was so used to life being all about me then I had a baby and quickly realised life wasn’t about me anymore.”
It wasn’t an easy time for any of them, as Emma suffered a series of debilitating health issues
The model, who once dated Towie’s Mario Falcone, had no idea she’d been born with three holes in her heart until a monitor was fitted following her second pregnancy.
Emma’s new man has slotted into family life – and now lives with Primrose and ChesterCredit: InstagramMaia has also grown close to the kidsCredit: Instagram
She’d suffered years of seizures, exhaustion and fainting episodes – but while the diagnosis was illuminating, medics were cautious about operating because Emma is also battling ulcerative colitis.
The condition, which affects roughly one in 420 in the UK, causes ulcers and inflammation in the digestive tract.
The steroid treatment used to treat it can lead to bone loss and breakage, which doctors warned could stop Emma’s bones from fusing back together.
I thought, ‘I’m going to get put to sleep and I’m not coming back out’.
Emma, on her heart surgery
Around Christmas time of 2023, her tricuspid valve – the valve between the two right chambers of the heart – further deteriorated, and the decision was made to proceed with the op in spite of the risks.
She later said: “I knew in surgery I’d be connected to a heart machine that would be keeping me alive while my heart was stopped, and I kept thinking, ‘They’re not going to be able to start my heart again’.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to get put to sleep, and I’m not coming back out’.”
It was a life-changing experience for all the family, and made their split even more surprising.
It wasn’t long until they both moved on, though. Emma started dating electrician James Staszewsky, and he became a huge part of her life and that of the kids as they set up home.
Gary had a brief romance with pro golf star Charley Hull, before falling for student Maia.
In what some felt was a dig at influencer Emma, Gary gushed about Maia: “I like how she’s got a normal job. Like, she got in at 8 o’clock this morning after leaving at half past 7 last night… 13 hours. She’s doing it again tonight, it’s inspirational.
Emma underwent heart surgery shortly before her split from GazLoved-up Emma with her new man – the couple are now planning to head down the aisleCredit: Instagram
“It almost brings me down a peg and I think that’s why I’m getting more normal and normal.
“I just love to pop to the pub for a bit of food and a walk with the dog, cutting the grass, like, I’ve become quite a normal boring person.”
The romances both came under fire and in a very surprising move they joined forces once again in order to issue a lengthy statement in which they addressed their marriage ending and the attention their new romances had gained.
‘One team’
Gaz hit back to insist they are “really good friends” and that they are both “happy and happy for one another” despite being in “new relationships”.
He added: “Both of us are in new relationships and we all get along well, and we can say we are so proud of ourselves to be able to all stay as one team.”
We’re told it was a brief period of calm for all parties involved but it wasn’t long that changed.
Gaz’s baby news was said to be one of those moments that rocked the boat.
Only a couple of years ago, Gaz had told The Sun he wouldn’t be having more kids, he said: “Two is hard enough. I think if you asked us before we may have said three but that was before we realised how hard it is.
“If we had two boys or two girls, then maybe it would be different but we have one of each, which is perfect.”
