Shelley Spadoni reflects on the time she interviewed comedy legend Ruby Wax and how after a wobbly start, the I’m A Celebrity star won her over completely
The one and only time I ever interviewed the inimitable Ruby Wax was in 2023, a long time before she had to contend with eating camel’s penis, or deal with run-ins with YouTube stars ‘blocking her light’.
The no-holds-barred I’m A Celebrity star, 72, has already made her mark in the jungle with her straight-talking ways and abrasive humour – and to be honest, I’m not surprised. She’s a force of nature.
Getting ready to speak to her on the phone two years ago as she prepared to set off on the UK tour of I’m Not As Well As I Thought (also the name of her book at the time), I was a little apprehensive.
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I had this idea in my head – and how wrong can these preconceived notions be – that she was a brash, at-times rude, if supremely-talented comedian, writer and TV star who if she was having a bad day, would make mincemeat out of me.
And as we began chatting, my fears were, in part. realised. I kicked off by asking Ruby about some of her favourite showbiz memories over the years, of which there are too many to mention here. In hindsight, perhaps I should have warmed her up a little first.
I recall cringing after asking how she felt about finding herself in 2000 sharing a plane with the now-US President Donald Trump, which she’s already talked about around the I’m A Celeb campfire.
Quick as a whippet, she responded, slightly irritated, with, ‘Shelley, I’ve talked about this many times before – as well as hanging out with Pamela Anderson. What else would you like to know that I haven’t said before?”
Fair play. She’s got a bag full of tricks when it comes to A-lister anecdotes. But she’s also got another huge passion in life – campaigning for mental health, and getting people to open up about theirs.
Over that little hiccup, we began discussing her stage show at the time, exploring mental health – as well as her Frazzled Cafe, the online space Ruby founded in which people can share their mental health stories and struggles in a safe space.
And the star slowly came to life. The more we spoke, the more I realised, Ruby just wanted to get to the nitty gritty, the thing that clearly is a huge part of what drives her.
And during the course of our interview, she showed not only her dark sense of humour, but also a vulnerability that is quite rare in the world of celebrity.
At one point, discussing her own mental health struggles, she brought up the idea that we all have an inner voice, ‘negative loops’ inside our head s that try to bring us down, and which she still has to try very hard to ignore.
Hers, she admitted with that throaty laugh, tells her, “I’m old, I’m finished and nobody likes me. And I tend to hear them when I’m feeling anxious. It’s like chewing a wad of gum and feeling exhausted.”
Her honesty was disarming. Mindfulness, she confessed, helps her deal with those intrusive thoughts. With her typically dark humour, she said she had first read about it while being treated in a mental institution, following a devastating bout of depression.
She suggested I try it, that we all do. And by the time we said goodbye to each other, I was a big fan – and have been, ever since.
We haven’t seen much of this vulnerable, reflective side of Ruby in the jungle yet, but I think we will. And though she may have divided fans at times, the more we see of her, the more viewers will understand what makes her tick.
Meanwhile, of course, she’ll continue to be absolute TV gold. She may say it like it is if someone rubs her up the wrong way, but she’s hugely entertaining.
The mother of three is also very insightful about the human condition, something that is sure to come through Down Under, during those famous deep and meaningfuls around the campfire at night.
As she told me before I hung up the call, “We’re all on different boats Shelley, but believe me, we’re in the same storm!”
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