I'm A Celebrity star has never been the same since jungle hell - 'it changed my life'

Since emerging arsenic king of the jungle connected 2004's I'm A Celebrity, comedian and histrion Joe Pasquale has embraced his daredevil broadside and embraced trying caller things - including skydiving and riding a motorbike

It's casual to spot squeaky-voiced Joe Pasquale arsenic a fig of fun, but the comedian’s jokey exterior is really hiding a determined, fearless ­adrenaline junkie.

He has ne'er been the aforesaid since braving I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here and emerging arsenic king of the jungle. And arsenic ITV gears up for the caller series, starting connected November 17, Joe, 63, recalls his archetypal reluctance to caput Down Under successful 2004.

He says: “I said it’s not for maine but I didn’t person a gig truthful I thought, what’s the worst that tin happen? On the mode to Australia I work a book, Feel The Fear & Do It Anyway. It changed my life. After that I jumped retired of a plane. I thought, if I tin bash that, what other tin I do? It was decidedly a life-changing moment.” He faced plentifulness of trials, including collecting flags from a chopper enactment ladder and being submerged successful a vessel afloat of rats. He besides made friends with 2 emus.

He says: “If I deliberation I’m frightened of that, I’ll marque definite I bash it. It’s different crushed for doing stand-up. It inactive scares maine each time, but I bask that feeling you get. It’s the aforesaid feeling you get erstwhile you’re doing a parachute leap – erstwhile I consciousness the astir alive.”

Joe’s inactive keen to larn caller things and says: “I’d beryllium an ­astronaut if I could.” Since the jungle, the star, a runner-up connected TV endowment amusement New Faces successful 1987, has learnt to box, got a pilot’s licence, written fearfulness books and done an Open University grade successful Geo [Earth] sciences.

Last week, helium passed his motorbike trial and bought a Scrambler Triumph 400X. He says: “People say, ‘oh you’re going to termination yourself,’ but I emotion it. I emotion the danger, the fearfulness and being successful power of it. I don’t privation to beryllium determination getting aged and abdominous and decrepit. You person to link 100% erstwhile you’re connected a motorbike. You are truthful exposed and successful the moment. People are truthful lackadaisical successful the car.”

Joe takes his wellness arsenic earnestly arsenic his thrills. He does not portion oregon smoke, goes to the gym erstwhile helium tin and swears by acold showers oregon baths, which helium takes successful an aged brew tube astatine his 16th period location adjacent Thetford, Norfolk.

This steely determination helped him triumph I’m A Celeb and helium sees the aforesaid qualities successful erstwhile world champion boxer and promoter Barry McGuigan, 63. Tipping Barry to triumph this series, Joe says: “He’s a bully bloke but, astir of all, helium has discipline. You indispensable power your emotions retired there, whether it beryllium choler oregon frustration.

“Barry volition beryllium utilized to hunger, with his grooming docket helium would person had to bash utmost diets.” Joe has much tips for the campmates, who see WAG Coleen Rooney, 38, Mc Fly’s instrumentalist Danny Jones, 38, and Strictly prima Oti Mabuse, 34. He suggests they get utilized to eating little earlier they spell into the jungle and instrumentality a fold-up seat arsenic their luxury item, arsenic their backs volition commencement hurting sitting connected a log astir the campsite.

And it is nary usage pretending to beryllium idiosyncratic else. He says: “You’ve besides got to beryllium yourself. You can’t enactment connected an enactment for weeks.” But it is improbable Joe, victor of past year’s The Masked Singer: I’m A ­Celebrity dressed arsenic an Aussie “dunny”, volition person clip to spot however they cope.

After his drama tour, The New Normal - 40 Years Of Cack, he’s consecutive into panto, with X Factor ’s Alexandra Burke, successful Jack and the Beanstalk astatine London’s New Wimbledon Theatre. He is truthful engaged helium volition not beryllium with his large household implicit Christmas – helium has 5 grown-up ­children, 11 grandkids and 2 ex-wives.

One of his 5 children is ex-Hollyoaks histrion Joe Tracini, 36, who precocious made a Channel 4 documentary , Me And The Voice Inside My Head, astir surviving with borderline property disorder. Joe says: “I’ll slumber astir of Christmas Day and person a stick-in-the-microwave Christmas dinner. It sounds a spot bah humbug, but I person to remainder due to the fact that I’ll beryllium knackered for the adjacent shows otherwise.”

This year, helium performed with pals Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley and Shane Richie astatine The London Palladium. The foursome volition circuit for a period from April. Joe has besides appeared connected Celebrity Mastermind and Celebrity Chase and is simply a regular connected Channel 4’s The Last Leg.

He admits has small clip near for romance. “I’m not that funny successful dating. I deliberation I’m astatine that property wherever I rather bask my ain institution and I fart a lot.”

And, worryingly for specified a thrill seeker, helium admits to being precise mishap prone. Last twelvemonth helium impaled himself connected a acceptable of moose antlers astatine a gig successful Skegness, Lincs. Last clip helium was successful Jack and The Beanstalk helium mistimed a guardant rotation connected signifier and dislocated his enarthrosis and broke a collarbone. He says: “I’d conscionable won the jungle, I was similar Elvis – the amusement was sold retired each night.”

Joe needed an cognition and 3 months to retrieve but the Birmingham Hippodrome panto had six weeks to run. Luckily, the physio for the Royal Ballet was to manus and strapped him up earlier each performance.

Clearly Joe believes the amusement indispensable spell connected and says: “Don’t perceive to the voices successful your caput that accidental you can’t bash things, conscionable bash them.”

• For ticket’s Joe’s panto visit: atgtickets.com/shows/jack-and-the-beanstalk/new-wimbledon-theatre