Iconic I'm A Celeb hotel has been ditched after 18 years

ITV has decided to ditch the snazzy Palazzo Versace Hotel from this year's series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.

The luxury hotel - which will set you back £1,000 a night, was once used for celebs to enjoy following their gruelling stints in camp.

But according to The Sun, it's been ditched for a local Marriott instead.

An insider told the publication: “ITV has used the Versace ever since the series came to Queensland in 2004. Those classic scenes of the muddy, exhausted celebs arriving in the glamorous, gleaming lobby are part of I’m A Celeb’s very fabric.

“The new hotel is lovely, but just different to the bouji opulence of the Versace, which is so well-known to viewers.”

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The JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort and Spa is priced from £256 per night - although ocean view suites are priced at around £650 - and still looks pretty fancy. We're sure the celebrities won't mind, especially considering they'll have been living in a jungle shortly before arriving.

A show source added: "We’re constantly looking at ways to refresh the show and being away from Australia during the pandemic gave us the opportunity to look at all aspects of the show including the hotel the celebrities stay in upon their jungle exit - for the new series we'll be using a different hotel on the Gold Coast."

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The show is set to return to Australia for the first time in two years next month, after ITV was forced to relocate the programme to Gwrych Castle, in north Wales for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Confirming the return, ITV said: "Returning to its home in Australia after a two-year break, our celebrities will leave their plush pads and luxuries far behind as they spend up to three weeks taking on the Australian jungle with a whole host of surprises created for them."

There are a number of celebs rumoured to be starring in the upcoming season, which will return to ITV on Sunday 6 November.

This year's rumoured cast include comedian Seann Walsh, former Love Island star Olivia Attwood, EastEnders' Natalie Cassidy, former rugby star Mike Tindall and Olympic athlete Tom Daley.

Meanwhile, Radio X presenter Chris Moyles, Hollyoaks star Owen Warner and Coronation Street actress Sue Cleaver have all been spotted landing in Australia, leading many to believe they are also joining the show.

Topics: TV and Film, Im A Celebrity

Lucy Devine