ITV I'M A CELEBRITY STAR SHARES 'ONE OF THE SCARIEST THINGS' AND ADDRESSES RETURN

Melvin Odoom has admitted I'm a Celebrity was one of the "scariest" things he's ever done as he ruled out a return to the jungle.

The radio and TV star was a camper on the ITV reality show last year and was the fourth star to be eliminated but he has confessed that he found parts of the experience very "tough".

While some stars have headed back into camp for the All Star series filmed in South Africa, Melvin suggested he doesn't seem himself returning for another go, saying it was "one and done" for him.

He shared: "It was one of the best things I've ever done. But I would say it's one of the scariest things I've ever done. The first few days... I couldn't sleep leading up to it.

"And when you're there, it's like nothing you've ever experienced before."

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Melvin went on: "I found some elements quite tough. The weather when we were there was so bad, literally, we'd be sleeping in our sleeping bags and if it was windy, it would kind of blow onto our beds and stuff like that. And that was tough.

"The lack of control was tough because there's no clocks, there's no watches. So you just have no... sometimes you don't know what day it is. And I think I realised I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to certain things. I like to know what's going on."

The star admitted the basic diet of rice and beans was also "so hard" as it "literally has no taste". "But I'll tell you what," he laughed. "It was the first time I saw my abs in ages, in absolutely ages. I think I went in 71kg and I came out 64kg."

Melvin, 45, also said the jungle was "the greatest detox ever".

"You don't have your phone, there's no screen time, there's no blue screen," he explained. "You're not sitting on your computer all day. And I remember when I came out of the jungle and they handed me my phone back, for about four or five hours I didn't even want to turn it on because it was so nice not to have that tie."

Melvin and fellow radio DJ Rickie Haywood-Williams are currently backing the NHS's Healthy Choices Quiz. The free five minute quiz gives people a score out of 10, helping them assess their lifestyle choices and giving them a personalised plan with NHS advice, tools and tips.

The star said: "As I've got older, staying healthy has become a bigger priority, but it's taken some trial and error to figure out what works for me."

Melvin has joined a running club and said he has "also made changes within my lifestyle, like cutting down on drinking". "Now I only have a drink on rare occasions, and the difference in my mood and energy is huge," he said. "Eating better is still a work in progress, but the Healthy Choices Quiz gave me a fresh perspective - especially on things like fibre, which I hadn't really thought about."

DJs Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom are supporting NHS's Healthy Choices Quiz, a free health and wellbeing quiz to encourage people to take the first step towards feeling healthier. Take the Healthy Choices Quiz to get your score and a plan that is right for you.

2025-12-06T06:04:39Z