Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley has shared details about her forthcoming appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and revealed the support she’s received from her fellow cast members.
I’m A Celebrity contestant Lisa Riley has revealed the touching message she received from her Emmerdale co-star Danny Miller after confirming her future on the soap.
The actress was among ten celebrities announced on Monday (November 10) to be heading into the Australian jungle for Ant and Dec’s annual series.
Celebrating 30 years as Mandy Dingle, Lisa won’t be the only soap star taking part — former EastEnders icons Martin Kemp and Shona McGarty will also join her as campmates.
The ITV reality show’s lineup further includes rapper Aitch, Loose Women presenter Kelly Brook, Jack Osbourne (Ozzy Osbourne’s son), and online personality Angry Ginge.
Fans can expect a brief absence for Mandy from Emmerdale, as soap stars are typically written out while appearing on I’m A Celebrity, which runs for around three weeks, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Lisa’s character, Mandy, is currently helping her husband, Paddy Kirk, search for his father, Bear, who has been missing for several weeks.
Recent episodes of the ITV soap revealed that Bear isn’t in Ireland as Paddy had believed; he is, in fact, caught up in a modern slavery storyline.
After weeks of speculation about her I’m A Celebrity appearance, Lisa reassured fans that she will return to the Dales once the series concludes. “Mandy Dingle will be back,” she confirmed.
One person likely offering Lisa plenty of advice is Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle and won the 2021 series, which was filmed at Gwrych Castle in Abergele, Wales, during the pandemic.
“Everyone at Emmerdale has been so lovely. Danny Miller just told me to be myself. I’ve got no agenda doing this,” Lisa shared.
Lisa also revealed why she finally decided to take part in I’m A Celebrity, despite being invited multiple times in the past.
She explained: “They’ve asked me to do it so many times before, but now I’ve finally said ‘yes.’ I’m turning 50 next year, it’s been thirty years on and off playing Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, and ten years of being sober.
“It felt like a big baguette with everything I’ve ever wanted in it! And it’s the 25th series of I’m A Celebrity. Forget the NTAs and BAFTAs — going into the jungle means I can hopefully be the best auntie ever to my nephews, Jakey and Joshua, and my niece, Everlyn. I can forever tell them I faced the jungle head-on. It’s going to be amazing.”
Lisa added: “I lost my best friend not long ago, and my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer at 48 — I’m 49 now. Nothing in life can feel worse than that, so I have to see if I can do this. Every day is a blessing, and I want to make the most of everything.”
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