I’m a Celebrity 2024: Vulnerability and Reinvention in Entertainment

I’m a Celebrity Returns with a Fresh Lineup

I’m a Celebrity is back, and honestly, this year’s lineup feels different. The 25th series kicks off on Sunday^[1] with a mix that doesn’t follow the usual formula. You’ve got Kelly Brook, the model and Heart radio presenter^[2], stepping into the Australian jungle after years of turning down invitations. Then there’s Jack Osbourne, Ruby Wax, and a bunch of other names that’ll make you go, ‘Wait, they’re doing this?’ What’s fascinating isn’t just who’s going in—it’s why they’re going in now. After Race Across the World and marathons, after decades in comedy and rock music, these entertainers are still hungry for something raw. Something different. The jungle’s always been where entertainment gets real, where the polish washes off and you see who people actually are.

Kelly Brook’s Solo Jungle Challenge and Growth

Kelly Brook sat in her London home, staring at the contract. She’d said no to I’m a Celebrity multiple times—turned down the invitations, explained she wasn’t ready. But something shifted after Race Across the World. Jeremy had been there, steady and strong, pushing her through every challenge. Now she’d be going into the jungle solo^[3], and honestly, that terrified her. ‘It’s the longest we will have been apart,’ she told herself, remembering her own words about seeing this as ‘a hiatus from married life’^[4]. She laughed thinking about the Bushtucker Trials. ‘I have got to see it as good protein,’ she’d joked to the producers^[5]. But beneath the humor was something real—a woman ready to prove she could do hard things alone, that entertainment doesn’t always require a safety net.

Established Stars Embrace Vulnerability on the Show

Here’s what’s interesting about this year’s I’m a Celebrity cast. You’ve got household names like Jack Osbourne^[6], whose family—Sharon and Kelly—will be watching^[7]. You’ve got Ruby Wax, a US comedian^[8] who interviewed everyone from Pamela Anderson to Donald Trump on her 90s BBC show When Ruby Wax Met…^[9]. And you’ve got Martin Kemp from Spandau Ballet^[1], following his son Roman’s third-place finish in 2019. The pattern? These aren’t desperate D-listers hunting for relevance. They’re established entertainment figures stepping into a space where their credentials don’t matter. That shift says something about how the industry’s changed. Entertainment in 2025 isn’t just about maintaining status—it’s about proving vulnerability. The jungle strips all that away.

Ruby Wax’s Journey from Interviewer to Interviewee

Ruby Wax came in with a specific mindset. She’s not afraid, she declared—not of bugs, not of hunger, not of the unknown^[8]. But here’s the real insight: she wanted to show people something different about herself. ‘I won’t be interviewing, because I hope they ask me questions,’ she said. ‘There is nothing more boring than someone who doesn’t ask you anything!’ That’s entertainment strategy right there. She spent decades on camera controlling the narrative, asking the questions. Now she’s walking into the jungle ready to be asked, ready to listen. She added she wants to ‘show people I’m not daring. I was stereotyped during my career.’ That’s not just about I’m a Celebrity—that’s about reclaiming your story in entertainment. The jungle becomes therapy, confession, and career rehabilitation all at once.

Jack Osbourne’s Healing and Escape in the Jungle

Jack Osbourne sat with his family after the I’m a Celebrity announcement was made public. His mum Sharon and sister Kelly were already talking about watching every episode^[7]. But underneath the excitement was something heavier. His dad Ozzy had passed earlier in the year, and Jack knew this jungle experience was more than entertainment—it was escape, processing, healing. ‘I’ve had to cancel some jobs but when Roman was on I’m A Celebrity…, I was addicted,’ Martin Kemp had said about his own son’s journey^[1]. Jack understood that addiction now. For him, the jungle represented a break from grief, a chance to push himself physically. Heights didn’t scare him; he’d been climbing for years, scaling pretty sizable routes^[10]. But bugs? That was different. That was real. The entertainment factor became secondary to what he really needed—to get away and become someone other than ‘the guy whose dad just died.’

Veteran Entertainers Choose Growth Over Relevance

Here’s the thing about comparing this year’s I’m a Celebrity cast to previous seasons. You’ve got established entertainment figures like Lisa Riley, who played Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale for 30 years^[11], making her first appearance. Then you’ve got Shona McGarty, who just left EastEnders after 16 years in 2024^[12], already signed up. The difference? Previous seasons mixed A-listers with B-list celebrities desperate for relevance. This year feels intentional. These aren’t people clawing for attention—they’re established entertainers choosing vulnerability. Kelly Brook^[13] declining multiple times before saying yes. Aitch, the rapper who grew up watching the show, calling it ‘almost disrespectful to say no’. The entertainment value shifts when your contestants actually want to be there, when they’re not running from something but running toward growth.

Authenticity Over Drama: New Entertainment Dynamics

Everyone assumes I’m a Celebrity works because of drama and conflict. But that’s incomplete. The real entertainment magic happens when people stop performing and start being. That’s the actual problem most reality shows miss—they chase conflict when authenticity is what viewers actually crave. This year’s lineup seems to understand that. Martin Kemp explicitly said he’d be ‘a calm person and quite laid back so when people do get flustered or are missing home, I will be a good person to come to.’ That’s not manufactured drama. That’s genuine human support becoming entertainment. The solution isn’t pitting celebrities against each other—it’s putting them in situations where their real selves emerge. Kelly Brook solo without Jeremy^[3]. Jack Osbourne processing grief^[10]. Ruby Wax finally being asked questions instead of asking them. That’s where entertainment lives now—not in the spectacle, but in the struggle.

Entertainment’s Shift Toward Raw, Vulnerable Moments

So what does this lineup tell us about where entertainment’s heading? First, vulnerability’s become currency. People don’t want to watch celebrities pretend anymore—they want to watch them crack under pressure and rebuild. Second, established figures are hungry for reinvention. Lisa Riley^[14] said yes this year after being asked numerous times before. Why now? Because entertainment’s shifted. She gets to control her narrative differently in the jungle than she ever could on a traditional show set. Third, the Bushtucker Trials matter increasingly. Kelly Brook joked about ‘seeing it as good protein’^[5], but that’s where real entertainment happens—not in fancy challenges but in the messy, uncomfortable moments where people reveal who they actually are. If you’re watching I’m a Celebrity, forget the celebrity gossip angle. Watch for the moments where the mask slips. That’s where the real entertainment lives.

The 25th Series Marks a Turning Point in Reality TV

The 25th series of I’m a Celebrity feels like a turning point for entertainment. We’re watching a generation of established celebrities choosing to step outside their carefully curated personas. That’s not accidental. It’s a response to how audiences consume entertainment now—authentically or not at all. Expect more household names taking jungle risks, more established entertainers using reality shows as platforms for genuine transformation rather than promotion. The Bushtucker Trials will probably get weirder, the camp dynamics more complex, because producers understand that audiences are sophisticated now. They’ve seen it all. The only thing left to surprise them is truth. And maybe that’s where entertainment’s actually heading—not toward bigger spectacles but toward smaller, rawer moments. A model without her husband, discovering she’s stronger alone. A comedian finally being asked questions. A rock legend becoming the camp’s emotional anchor. Those aren’t just entertainment moments. They’re cultural shifts happening in real time, broadcast to millions.