Kelly Brook and Jason Statham controversy as she admits why they split from seven-year relationship
She's faced a lot of backlash in the past
Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.
Kelly Brook is set to become a fixture on our TV screens when I'm A Celebrity kicks off this weekend but the former model has faced plenty of challenges away from the jungle.
Now 45, and happily married to French model Jeremy Parisi, the actress is going to have to endure one of the toughest camps yet in Australia, although she won't be following in the footsteps of Matt Hancock or Nigel Farage who were made to do several challenges in a row, after rule changes were also confirmed there.
Parisi, who appeared with his wife on BBC's hit show Race Across The World last year, married Brook back in 2022, but she's actually been engaged three times before, to rugby player Thom Evans, Titanic star Billy Zane and perhaps most memorably, A-list actor Jason Statham.
Advert
The pair dated between 1997 and 2004 and were engaged but called things off before the wedding, with Brook revealing recently why their relationship came to an end.
She said: "I had a really good job at MTV, I was hosting a daily show there and I was there for about a year and my boyfriend at the time was an actor.
"He got offered a few roles in things and he had so much talent and charisma and I said we just need to go to America and thought it would be the making of us.
"I quit my job and we went and I was kind of there as a support network for him and watched his career flourish, whereas mine kind of floundered a bit because I didn’t have the same opportunities.
"And I was flying back and forth between the UK and LA, and it was quite taxing and expensive and exhausting."
However, there was also added controversy in their relationship, as Brook owned up to hitting the Hollywood hard man back in 2014, as well as fellow ex-boyfriend Danny Cipriani, who played Rugby Union for England.
She confirmed in her memoirs that she had assaulted both men and went on This Morning to defend herself, after a number of anti-domestic violence campaigners branded her actions as 'unacceptable'.
Brook said: "In my defence, I don't think (Statham) felt it. This is Jason we're talking about - he's a martial arts expert! It's true I did both of those things.
"I'm not saying I'm an angel and I'm not saying that things I've done are right. I'm not saying that's the right thing to do at all but yeah, I guess I got some of that fiery passion from my parents...
"These are big men that I go out with, they're not going to (feel it)... Look at me! I can't exactly do a man any damage."
However, hitting someone because they won't feel it is hardly an excuse, even when she might have felt her actions were justified after Statham reportedly embarrassed her at Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie, while Cipriani had given his phone number to a lap dancer.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.
Topics: Celebrity News, Domestic Abuse, Im A Celebrity, TV, Sex and Relationships
James Moorhouse