Travis Varcoe enters I’m A Celeb jungle, admitting ‘it doesn’t take much for me to cry’

Former footy star Travis Varcoe has revealed what will make him a strong competitor on I’m A Celebrity as he joins a bevy of famous faces in the jungle.

Ex-Collingwood star Travis Varcoe will enter the reality TV jungle

Former AFL star Travis Varcoe says “heart and belief” will make him a strong competitor on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here — but he also cries at the drop of a hat.

Varcoe entered the Channel 10 reality show wilderness on Sunday night alongside comedians Ash Williams and Mel Buttle, singers Toni Pearen, Paulini and Jack Vidgen, broadcasters Jess Eva and Grant Denyer, and former dating show contestant Abbie Chatfield.

Varcoe said he was “100 per cent out of my comfort zone” on the show, and his biggest challenge would be “dealing with snakes,” although it was unclear if he meant reptiles.

Asked what his campmates might not know about him, the former Collingwood and Geelong star replied: “It doesn’t take much for me to cry.”

Varcoe retired from AFL in 2020 after a 15-year career, and has joined the Western Bulldogs as an AFL development coach for the 2021 season.

He is outspoken about racist slurs aimed at Indigenous players by footy fans, and has campaigned for change.

Travis Varcoe said “ it doesn’t take much” for him to cry

“When you get into this caper of work, you grow a thick skin, but your friends, family and loved ones are not as strong as you are,” he told the Herald Sun in 2019.

“It’s very disheartening. No one should be treated like that, no matter if you’re Aboriginal or what your heritage is.”

His Magpies teammate Mason Cox called out a racist attack last year, in which a fan labelled Varcoe a “useless ch —p” and Cox an “American sp —tic.” “There is no excuse,” Cox said on social media. “Listen, learn, and be better.”