Grace Dent breaks silence after leaving I'm A Celeb with Instagram post

30 November 2023, 10:30 | Updated: 30 November 2023, 12:00

The food critic has taken to Instagram for the first time since leaving left I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Find out what she said.

Grace Dent has left the I'm A Celeb jungle.

The restaurant critic was part of the starting line-up for the celebrity-based competition, which takes place in the Australian jungle.

However, a statement was released which announced she had departed from the show "on medical grounds".

She has since broken her silence online since leaving the jungle. See her full statement below.

Find out more about the Grace Dent and why she left the show, plus if anyone is set to replace her.

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What has Grace Dent said since leaving I'm A Celeb?

Taking to Instagram, the food critic shared a lengthy statement, which began: "Dear friends. Thank you for the outpouring of love I’ve received since I was removed on Monday. I am overwhelmingly sad right now, but determined to keep alive in my heart the huge personal breakthroughs I made over the weeks. I spent 15 days without a phone or any contact with loved ones, living much of the time outdoors in a rain forest in very wet weather. It gave me a short, sharp glimpse into the pain some folk worldwide endure. Normal life, forever, will always feel beautiful."

She continued: "Until now, I had no idea I could find a mental space where I could calmly climb down the side of a sky scraper and then slide out on a pole, unlocking stars,as the cars below on the street felt the size of ants.

"I had no idea it was possible to be shown an American football helmet and be informed I was shortly to be locked in at the neck and filled to the eyebrows with cockroaches, and for me to think ‘OK this is doable, the trick is to breathe’.

"For as long as I live, I shall never forget the cockroach that entered my ear canal and the sound of its little feet creeping closer down to my brain. It took us two goes to lure him out. Sat on the grass behind the ‘Scarena’ he finally washed up.

"The jungle showed me how quickly I could become blasé about sleeping with hungry rats, noisy toads, moths and Huntsman spiders. It taught me that when you have to sleep close to the enemy the trick is to stay calm, have empathy and that screaming achieves nothing but wasted calories.

"The jungle showed me that I am physically stronger than I thought; I can carry a lot of logs and water up hill, build fire and eat hare innards at dawn for breakfast."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Grace Dent (@gracedent)

Dent added: "I hope I gave you all a smile. I didn’t go out as I planned or I wanted, but I did what I could, and I did it in a siren red gel manicure without chipping a nail. I didn’t cry when I took off my bra to find a family of mealworms living in the right cup. At some level, this *must* be an achievement.

"My plan is to recover…and when the adrenaline finally ebbs away, to make some serious plans for dinner.

"Three courses, extra potatoes, definitely pudding. I think I deserve it.

"I love you all and miss my jungle crew. Miss Grace Dent xxx"

Where is Grace Dent?

The food critic is no longer on I'm A Celeb, after leaving the show "on medical grounds".

Why has Grace Dent left I'm A Celeb?

Grace Dent has quit I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! after 10 days on "medical grounds". A spokesperson for ITV said: "Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds.

"She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike."

Grace Dent has looked unwell the last few days and she has previously been seen on camera saying she wanted to "go home". It is not clear what Grace's illness was or the exact medical reasons for her departure, but fans on the show remarked upon how she looked like she had lost weight.

Grace has since been spotted boarding a flight back to the UK. According to The Sun, a source close to the show said she was "feeling like s*** and she just wanted to get on that plane and sleep".

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How long was Grace Dent on I'm A Celeb?

Grace Dent was on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! for just over a week, but - as she revealed in her Instagram post - she spent 15 days without a phone or contact with her loved ones. She entered I'm A Celeb on the launch show alongside Sam Thompson, Danielle Harold and Fred Sirieix. The four took part in The Pole Challenge, which was a twist on the show's classic Walk the Plank challenge.

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Will Grace Dent still get paid?

Since Grace Dent stayed in the I'm A Celeb camp for over a full week and has appeared to leave for medical reasons, it's likely she'll receive her full pay for appearing on the show.

Who replaced Grace Dent in the bushtucker trial?

Grace was set to take part in the Down the Tubes trial alongside This Morning presenter Josie Gibson on tonight's show this Monday (17th November). However, EastEnders star Danielle Harold is now set to take her place after receiving the third highest number of votes to take part.

Who is Grace Dent's partner?

Grace's partner is called Charles. There isn't much known about him, but it's believed they met in Liverpool. Dent has admitted that she followed him on Instagram before they got together because they knew people in common and accoring to The Sun, she's sad he is "absolutely gorgeous". Dent was previously married and despite her divorce from her ex-husband, she's said to still love her wedding dress.

According to The Mirror, she said: "I’ve still got the dress that I got married in. I’m not married to him anymore. But I’ve still got that dress. We’d just had a very informal marriage, we got married in Vegas, and I’ve still got the dress. I love the dress – this is the problem! I’ve still got that dress and I can’t quite give it away."

I'm A Celeb... Get Me Out Of Here! continues tonight from 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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