GEMMA Collins has revealed she’s spent a decade embarrassed to face Ant and Dec at showbiz parties after her I’m A Celebrity flop.
The reality star has returned to the show to seek “redemption” having left the jungle after 72 hours in 2014.
Opening up on her return for the first time, Gemma, 45, said: “Me quitting has been a shadow hanging over me.
“Going on All Stars is a real moment for me in my career – it’s redemption.
“To be able to do this again is the greatest honour ever.
“If I could get crowned the ‘Legend’, I would just feel complete in my life.
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“I am so excited to see Ant & Dec again.
“It has been embarrassing whenever I have been to ITV parties knowing their first thought might be, ‘oh no, there is that girl who left the jungle’.
“I want to show them what I am made of and get that new-found respect.”
Gemma’s first run was so abysmal she didn’t even complete a Bushtucker Trial.
She added: “I just hated it from the minute I got in there and I couldn’t wait to get out.
“I didn’t do any trials. I gave up before I started.
“I don’t think anyone goes into the jungle going ‘woohoo’. It’s not normal to be faced with animals.
“There is no way I am going to be leaving after 72 hours. I am in it to win it. I am going through to the end.
“I am going to be the best campmate and get those stars.
“None of us will be starving under my watch.”
Since her appearance on the 14th series, Gemma has taken on a string of reality gigs including Dancing On Ice, MasterChef and her own fly-on-the-wall shows.
But she’s also moved into more serious projects including documentary Self Harm & Me and new Sky project following her IVF journey, Four Weddings and a Baby.
She reckons she’s a whole new woman.
Gemma said: “I am going in as Gemma Collins.
“Gemma Collins is a self-made woman. I have been to hell and back to get to where I am today.
“With hindsight, I realise I wasn’t wholesome or grounded when I went in.
“I was this girl from Essex who was all about Range Rovers, fancy jewellery and fancy coats.
“I wasn’t as strong as I made out. I needed to work on my character and build myself up.
“I am going to South Africa with a very different mindset.
“My soul told me it was right for me. I’ve never been to South Africa before.
“I think that is why they made a show on Essex people, because none of us have really left Essex!”
Viewers tonight saw a sneak peek of The GC arriving in camp wearing an extravagant, lime green kaftan.
The TV icon is flung straight into a Bushtucker Trial scoffing ghastly grub with fellow late arrival Craig Charles.
But Gemma’s trying to see the bright side.
She added: “I am dreading the whole lot.
“But it will be nice for them to meet Gemma Collins.
“They probably see the big hair, the make-up, the eyelashes, and the bravado.
“But it’s going to be nice for everyone to have a good gossip.”
