I'm a Celebrity: Peter Andre shares his verdict on the finalists (exclusive)

Pop star Peter Andre writes exclusively for Yahoo about I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2022

We're almost at the end of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Here! 2022 and what a series it has been! I really think it is one of the best in a few years and it’s made me fall in love with the show all over again.

What does it say that after 22 series, we’re all still sitting down every night with our cups of tea and our biscuits, tuning in to watch the celebrities suffering for our entertainment — we’re a terrible bunch, including myself!

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But looking at the finalists left around that camp fire I think it says a lot about what kind of a show it is that they’re mostly pretty decent people.

Mike Tindall

Mike was a bit of an enigma at the start and I kind of felt that for all I knew about him as a sportsman and a member of the Royal family, I just didn’t know that much about him as a person.

It’s been a chance for him to showcase his personality and clearly he has a good one. That’s why he’s in the final. His highlight for me was rocking the budgie smugglers so effortlessly in camp. I respect that. I think doing that on national television was possibly braver than any of the trials.

There are some people who say we might not have seen the real Mike in the jungle. But in those trunks we certainly saw a lot of him!

Jill Scott

From day one Jill Scott has been mentioned as the potential winner. Everyone loves the Lionesses in general, but they sure love her. She’s sweet, she’s genuine, she’s funny, and let’s be honest — she has great taste in music! I’ve recorded a special video message for when she comes out of the jungle and I hope Ant and Dec get a chance to play it for her.

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Jill’s best moments for me were when she talked about her struggles to make it as a woman in professional football. She had already won her fight for survival long before she entered the show and I think she is a real inspiration to a lot of people.

It’s usually hard to spot the Queen of the Jungle at the start of the show, but it was always going to be Jill for me.

Owen Warner

Owen has been the jungle jester this year without even meaning to, bless him. He was there with two professional comedians and he has come up with all the best lines. Like when he said that thing about fingers being tiny arms. I remember I said a few things that were one sandwich short of a picnic when I was doing the show. Maybe it’s the hunger messing with your mind.

Owen has moaned more than anyone about being hungry. But when you’re watching from your sofa with a cup of tea and a biscuit, you can’t imagine how hungry those guys are feeling. And it gets to different people in different ways - emotions become unlocked. Overall I think Owen has been endearing and that’s why he’s still there.

Matt Hancock

I’m not as surprised to see Matt in the final as I thought I’d be. He has really divided the nation in terms of the people who don’t think he should have even been allowed on the show in the first place, and those who have warmed to him within days of him joining the camp. It shows to me, not just the fickleness of the Great British public, but the power of their kindness.

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I’m going to go out on a limb and say I don’t think he’s going to win. I think deep down, while a lot of people may be voting to keep him in, there are as many others who don’t want to give him the satisfaction of winning. While so many viewers have warmed to someone like Jill, Matt still has a lot of critics to win over.

A whole new world

Coming out of the camp is so surreal and these celebrities are in for a real culture shock. You go into the show nervous about the snakes and the spiders and you come out into a different kind of jungle. Suddenly everyone who recognises you in the street wants to come up and chat and it’s a totally different kind of conversation. They go from knowing who you are to thinking they know you.

On the show it seems like all anyone is thinking about is what they’ll eat when they’re out. But let me tell you - that first long hot shower is like coming back to civilisation.You appreciate the little things so much more. Anti-perspirant! And your clothes fit the best they ever have in your life.

Adapting back into the real world you have to be careful not to go into caveman mode and just eat any food that comes your way. Because you’ve got used to not knowing where your next meal is coming from, or how hard you’ll have to work for it. So you can put on weight very quickly. I remember that is a tough habit to break.

The finalists will all be starting to think about who is crowned the next King or Queen of the Jungle and allowing themselves to go, ‘Maybe it’s me?!’ When I got down to the final three with Kerry Katona and Jennie Bond and I was the last man standing, I was looking around thinking 'I can’t believe it!' To have beaten big personalities like Razor Ruddock and Johnny Rotten — it felt like I’d won already.

At the end of the day it’s a life changing experience and one that such a tiny number of people in the world are ever going to have. It’s humbling, and it makes you appreciate the simple things in a whole new light.

Everyone was asking me if I was going to sign up for the All Stars series and I felt like I’d been there, got the blue t-shirt. But now I’m starting to think maybe I should have said yes damn it!

Pop star Peter Andre writes exclusively for Yahoo about I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2022

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