New I’m A Celeb host Robert Irwin reveals big change he’s made to the show
Incoming I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! co-host Robert Irwin has revealed the change he insisted on making ahead of his debut.
Incoming I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! co-host Robert Irwin has revealed the change he insisted on making ahead of his debut on the show.
Irwin joins Julia Morris on the popular Ten program when it premieres on Sunday, March 24 – but first, the staunch Wildlife Warrior and animal activist insisted the show ditch African wildlife from the menu.
Previous seasons have seen contestants eat all manner of (non-endangered) African animal parts during the show’s stomach-churning foof challenges.
“The one thing that I was like, ‘Mmm, I’ve got to change this’, was eating the African wildlife…I’m a conservationist at heart,” he said this morning when dropping by The Kyle & Jackie O Show in Sydney.
“They have changed it so we’re just doing the cow, and the chicken, and the fish, and the cockroach,” he revealed of the change of challenge menu.
When radio host Kyle Sandilands remarked that Morris might not care about animals given her leather shoes and handbags, she confessed she’s a “secret underground wildlife warrior” - and Irwin backed this up.
“It’s actually amazing. You wrangle funnel-web spiders, which by the way no one should do,” Irwin told her on-air.
Morris said she supported her new co-host’s efforts to nix any consumption of African wildlife on the show.
“I think what Robert’s been doing is making people think, ‘Do you need it or not?’ Like if you need it, tell me why you need the wildlife in place like that?” Morris explained.
“And if it doesn’t matter and it was just something that was nice in Africa from Series 1, then we don’t need it – just get a cow!”
Irwin added: “Africa’s got such amazing wildlife, and it’s about celebrating it”.
Elsewhere in the interview, the young conservationist also reflected on the time he first visited the South African set of I’m A Celeb when he was just 10 years old with his mum Terri and sister Bindi.
“I just kind of got dropped in there with my family and spent the day in there and it was awesome. Since then, it’s been on my radar, I’ve been a fan of the show and I just thought it’s such an amazing thing I was awe-struck, I just loved it. Coming back as a host, is the craziest thing,” he said.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! premieres Sunday, 24 March on Ten And 10 Play