Grace Dent's friend reveals real reason behind star's I'm A Celeb exit

Grace Dent left I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! after ‘losing all her energy’ and finding it ‘harder than she could have imagined’, a friend has claimed.

The food critic had been settling into camp alongside fellow stars including Jamie Lynn Spears, Sam Thompson, Nigel Farage and Fred Sirieix and had already faced some pretty brutal challenges.

However, after a week in the jungle, the 50-year-old left the show on medical grounds, with an ITV spokesperson telling LADbible: "Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds.

"She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike.”

Her departure from the show came after viewers questioned if the star was OK.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer said: "Grace looks so sick on #ImACeleb @imacelebrity I hope she’s ok.”

Another said: "Is Grace ok?? Think she needs checking on she looks so deflated #ImACeleb.”

A source close to Dent has since said she decided to leave after being nominated for another trial.

ITV

They told the MailOnline: “Grace decided to leave the jungle soon after it was announced that she would be doing the latest Bushtucker Trial.

"Knowing that she would be facing another tough challenge was the straw that broke the camel's back.

"It was mutually agreed that she would stand down from the competition, it was clear that she wasn't being herself, she had lost all energy when usually she's witty and fun to be around."

With Dent exiting the show, former EastEnders’ star Danielle Harold stepped up to take part in the trial alongside Josie Gibson.

The source went on to say that although Dent had ‘struggled’ in the camp, she would be ‘fine’ after a few days to rest and recuperate following her time Down Under.

ITV

“ITV's duty of care and welfare teams had stepped in, and rightly so,” they added.

“She had struggled since living in the camp with less amenities, the weather this year has been particularly miserable and as a restaurant critic, not eating well proved to be harder than she could have ever imagined.

“Grace is looking forward to seeing her loved ones now and after a few days of rest and recovery will be fine.”

Dent spoke about how she thought she'd manage in the jungle ahead of joining the show.

“Everything is filling me with a real sense of dread," she said. "But I am especially dreading being really hungry because I tend to eat four or five posh meals out a week because I am a restaurant critic."