I'm A Celeb: Mike Tindall 'signed up after public speaking dried up'

I’m A Celebrity 2022: Mike Tindall ‘signed up for jungle reality show after his public speaking bookings dried up in the coronavirus pandemic’

Mike Tindall allegedly decided to sign up for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! after he struggled to book public speaking jobs during the coronavirus pandemic
The former rugby player, 44, is said to make most of his money from speaking at events and to guests at dinner parties but covid restrictions meant he was unable to continue until recently
Television personality Mike’s friend, sports presenter Alex Payne – who he hosts The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast with – said the last two years have been tough for people like Mike who work in the entertainment or hospitality industry

Mike Tindall allegedly decided to sign up for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! after he struggled to book public speaking jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The former rugby player, 44, is said to make most of his money from speaking at events and to guests at dinner parties but covid restrictions meant he was unable to continue until recently.

Television personality Mike’s friend, sports presenter Alex Payne – who he hosts The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast with – said the last two years have been tough for people like Mike who work in the entertainment or hospitality industry.

Relief: Mike Tindall, 44, allegedly decided to sign up for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! after he struggled to book public speaking jobs during the coronavirus pandemic

Alex explained to The Sun: ‘It’s not like he’s sitting there in a pile of money. He’s a guy who’s in the public eye and that’s where he earns his money.

‘Mike’s primary source of income is public speaking, and he goes out and does dinners.

‘He’s on the sporting circuit but it’s worth remembering that the last two years haven’t been pretty much a day’s work for people in that sort of industry, entertainment and hospitality industry.’

Endurance: Mike has been put through his paces on the show – for which he is paid a fee – with the former rugby player eating creepy crawlies as part of the programme’s trials

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Mike for comment.

Also went on to say Mike would never have taken part in the show if he thought it would cause a problem between him and the royal family.

The sports star’s wife Zara is the niece of King Charles III and is 20th in the line of succession to the British throne.

‘He wouldn’t be doing it if it was a problem, I know that much,’ Alex insisted.

Dishing the dirt: Mike’s friend Alex Payne (middle) spoke out. He hosts The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast with Alex and fellow former rugby player James Haskell (top)

It comes after Mike recalled the time he ripped his trousers and flashed his boxers which read ‘nibble my nuts’ to Princess Anne.

Speaking a recent episode of I’m A Celebrity, the star made the hilarious confession.

He admitted he had a problem with ‘exaggerated dancing’ at special occasions, saying he often ‘s**t drops’ and tears his clothing.

Discussing smart attire in camp, he explained: ‘I love a suit. My problem with suits is I over exaggerate dancing at weddings… I rip a lot of suits, trousers and stuff.’

Amusing anecdote: Mike said he once ripped his trousers at wife Zara’s birthday party to reveal his boxers which read ‘nibble my nuts’ to Princess Anne during Monday’s I’m A Celeb

Comedian Seann Walsh laughed: ‘Course you do.’

Mike continued: ‘The old sl*t drop gets me every time. I went to a wedding, ripped a suit, they were like, “Oh my God, what are you going to do?” I was like, “Don’t worry I’ve got a spare.”

‘They were like, “Who brings a spare suit?” Someone who rips a lot of trousers brings a spare suit.’

He added: ‘Zara had like a 30th birthday, it was a disco 70s themed one, I was dancing on the dance floor, I had like flares on, full outfit but it was quite tight, nothing ever fits – rugby player’s bum and legs – so I was dancing with my mother-in-law and I did a sl*t drop in front of my mother-in-law.’

Red-faced: Mike said he performed a ‘s**t drip’ at wife Zara’s 30th birthday party to reveal his underwear which said ‘nibble my nuts’ to which Princess Anne (pictured) said: ’I’d rather not’

In the Bush Telegraph, Seann said: ‘Mike sl*t dropped in front of Princess Anne and that is not the end of the story… that’s already, what are you thinking?

Mike, who shares children Mia, eight, Lena, four, and Lucas, one, with Zara, continued: ‘Ripped my trousers, straight in front of her. It happened to be that my boxers that I had on at that time said “nibble my nuts”.’

The amusing tale prompted Seann and fellow comedian Babatúndé Aléshé to applaud him.

Terrific trio: Zara, Mike and Princess Anne are pictured at Royal Ascot in 2014

Mike, who recently spoke out about his first ‘boozy’ date with Zara, said: ‘As I’ve turned round, she’s gone, “I’d rather not.” I’ve gone, “I’m going” and walked off.’

Seann concluded in the Bush Telegraph: What a legend. Absolute legend. I would love to go to a party with Mike.’

The hilarious anecdote comes after a royal expert claimed Princess Anne will be thinking ‘what on earth is Mike doing’ on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

Speaking during True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, royal journalist and author Katie Nicholl said that it’s ‘unthinkable’ that the Princess Royal will be watching her son in-law take part in the ITV reality show.

Mishap: As the niece of King Charles, Zara is 20th in line to the throne (pictured together in June 2022)

Katie revealed: ‘Knowing Princess Anne…The idea that she’ll be sitting, cheering Mike on is absolutely unthinkable. I think she’ll be thinking, “What on earth is he doing?”. And that’s probably the thoughts of most of the senior Royals.

‘He’s making a lot of money out of it. I do think this all leads to the much bigger question about Royals and commercialisation.

‘We dedicate so much time to discussing Harry and his commercial deals. How is this any different? It’s not.

‘But I think the point is, this really crystallises Charles’s argument and vision for a slimmed-down monarchy.’

Blunder: Comedian Seann Walsh was surprised to hear of Mike’s mishap and that he takes multiple suits to weddings and parties

The royal author went onto wonder if the Queen was alive would Zara of spoke to her about Mike entering the jungle.

She said: ‘One wonders, if the Queen was still alive, and knowing how close Zara was to her grandmother, whether she might have actually had a conversation [about her husband appearing] saying, ‘Granny, just so you know…’ I think that’s much more likely than not.

‘But the idea that they’d have checked with Wills and Kate? No!’

Mike opened up about meeting his wife in Sydney on the show and admitted that they discovered they ‘both quite like getting smashed’ during their ‘boozy’ first date.

He admitted he met Zara during England’s Rugby World Cup-winning campaign in Australia in 2003.

Speaking inside main camp, Mike told fellow campmates Babatúndé Aleshe and Owen Warner about first meeting his wife, whom he shares three children, Mia, eight, Lena, four, and Lucas, one, with.

He also candidly discussed their first date, recalling: ‘First actual date, just went out for lunch locally. And ended up being quite a boozy one. Then we figured out that we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start.’

Mike explained: ‘I was at the World Cup, she was out watching. I got dropped from the semi-final. I was p****d off and so I went for a beer with another guy who got dropped and a guy who was over [in Sydney]. They’d met her before and they introduced us and then got chatting.’

Former rugby player Mike Tindall pictured with his royal wife Zara on their wedding day in 2011

Owen replied: ‘So if you never got dropped you never would have met her?’

Mike said: ‘Best decision of Clive Woodward’s life.’ Owen added: ‘Thank god he dropped you.’

Babatúndé asked Mike: ‘How many years has it been?,’ to which Mike replied: ’18 years.’

The next live episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! airs at 9.15pm on Monday on ITV1 and ITVX.

I’M A CELEBRITY 2022: THE FULL LINEUP

BOY GEORGE

AGE: 61

CLAIM TO FAME: Legendary pop star

PHOBIAS: Being scared

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, I am going straight into the jungle from playing at various festivals and gigs

ROLE IN THE CAMP: In-house dietician reassuring everyone that they will be ok on the jungle diet. And entertainer – I will sing!

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I am a very positive person and I don’t bear any grudges

DREAM CAMPMATE: It would be funny if my ex, Jon Moss, comes on the programme -but I don’t think that will happen!

CHRIS MOYLES

AGE: 48

CLAIM TO FAME: Radio DJ

PHOBIAS: I am petrified of heights. I ended up carrying the bags when we took my girlfriend’s niece once to Go Ape as I am so petrified!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? A friend’s birthday, a wedding, and Leeds United matches

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Entertainer. Hopefully I can help shorten everyone’s boredom.

BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hiding food! I am going to fly out early and sneak into the jungle and hide pot noodles everywhere, then I will be everyone’s best friend!

DREAM CAMPMATE: Ant and Dec…let’s see how they cope for 24 hours!

SUE CLEAVER

AGE: 59

CLAIM TO FAME: Playing Eileen Grimshaw in Coronation Street

PHOBIAS: Don’t be ridiculous! I am not going to admit to what I fear most!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? Coronation Street and we are expecting another grandchild any day, so hopefully it will arrive before I fly out to Australia.

ROLE IN THE CAMP: I will be more of a mum – that is where I will naturally fit.

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I can cook and I am a good listener, so hopefully I will be a friendly ear for everyone.

DREAM CAMPMATE: Good Morning Britain’s Richard Arnold. He is my TV husband and it would be lovely to have an ally in camp!

SCARLETTE DOUGLAS

AGE: 35

CLAIM TO FAME: Presenter of A Place In The Sun

PHOBIAS: Spiders. There is no point in lying about it! I’ve got an irrational fear about them

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? Just a holiday which I can postpone

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Mum, cook and morale booster. I always like to look at the positive side in life

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I can cook and I will be good at making sure everything is tidy in camp

DREAM CAMPMATE: Mo Gilligan. He is hilarious and I totally fancy him!

BABATÚNDÉ ALÉSHÉ

AGE: 36

CLAIM TO FAME: Comedian

PHOBIAS: I am scared of absolutely everything. Snakes, rats – I am fearful of them all and I am dreading the trials

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? I was going on tour but we’ve postponed it now until next year

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Tension breaker. If I can break tension anywhere it starts up in the camp, then I will do that. We don’t need to be bickering as it will be a first-time experience for everyone

BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hopefully I will bring some humour to the camp

DREAM CAMPMATE: I am a big Arsenal fan and so any ex-Arsenal player would be great. I am looking forward to chatting to Ant & Dec about football

SEANN WALSH

AGE: 36

CLAIM TO FAME: Comedian

PHOBIAS: I am not too pleased about rats being in there but I am just trying to pretend it is not happening!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, I am really looking forward to taking part in this show

BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION YOU WANT TO DISPEL IN THE JUNGLE: People have voiced their feelings about me and I am hoping they will see I am very different. I want to create new memories

ROLE IN THE CAMP: I am a great listener. I can’t cook but if someone would like to teach me, then I will give it a go

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I don’t want to put myself down but if my friends were to answer this question, they would say there isn’t much Seann can do! I am not really bringing too much to the table which is why I am a good listener!

DREAM CAMPER: Lee Evans, anyone from Blink-182 or Boy George. My mum took me to see him at Wembley and he wore a satellite dish as a hat!

MIKE TINDALL

AGE: 44

CLAIM TO FAME: Rugby Union player and married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall

PHOBIAS: I haven’t admitted to having any phobias but in a weird way, I am looking forward to taking part in the trials!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? My podcast series and the rugby Internationals this autumn

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Morning motivator. I would like to see everyone get on well and us all have a great experience

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I am a positive person

DREAM CAMPMATE: Samuel L Jackson would be cool. He has lived the life!

OWEN WARNER

AGE: 23

CLAIM TO FAME: Playing Romeo Nightingale in Hollyoaks

PHOBIAS: Snakes!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? I am a big fan of football so I will miss watching the start of the World Cup

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Entertainer and games coordinator

BEST ATTRIBUTE: It is definitely not my cooking skills or brains!

DREAM CAMPMATE: Any of the Leicester City starting 11!

CHARLENE WHITE

AGE: 42

CLAIM TO FAME: ITV newsreader and Loose Women anchor

PHOBIAS: I am not sure what my fear factor will be because I’ve never had rodents, spiders and snakes crawling all over me!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? My children’s annual school ball which I am gutted about

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Mum and cook. I don’t mind falling into that position

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I like to listen and talk. I love learning about people and I have a natural curiosity for people

DREAM CAMPMATE: Colin Murray and Richard Osman

JILL SCOTT

AGE: 35

CLAIM TO FAME: Retired England Lioness

PHOBIAS: I don’t like rats and the thought of being underground fills me with fear!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? The Men’s World Cup. I am going to find it weird not being able to know how the men are getting on in the tournament. Hopefully they will still be in the tournament when I come out of the jungle

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Helping hand. I like to help people if they aren’t having a good day

BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hard worker. I will always find a way to add value. I am also very honest

DREAM CAMPMATE: Another sports person would be great as it would be someone to bounce ideas off.

OLIVIA ATTWOOD

OLIVIA ATTWOOD – EXITED THE SHOW

AGE: 31

CLAIM TO FAME: Love Island star

PHOBIAS: I hate the dark so I’m keen to avoid any challenges in the darkness

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, had the show been on air any later, I could have missed my sister’s wedding

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Clown. I was always the class clown at school and I love having a laugh

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I don’t take myself seriously and I have got a good sense of humour

DREAM CAMPMATE: A pop legend like Dolly Parton who has amazing stories to tell

MATT HANCOCK

AGE: 44

CLAIM TO FAME: Politician

PHOBIAS: Snakes. I don’t thankfully suffer from claustrophobia –or I think I don’t!

BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION YOU WANT TO DISPEL IN THE JUNGLE: Politicians are people too and it will be nice for people to see me as me. We are human too

ROLE IN THE CAMP: I like to muck in, and I think I will be collecting a lot of firewood. I like cooking too

I’m A Celebrity 2022: All you need to know about this year’s show

I’m A Celebrity 2022 line up: Which celebrities are taking part this year?
Where is I’m A Celebrity filmed this year in Australia?
Inside Boy George’s £17m gothic Hampstead mansion
I’m A Celebrity 2022: How much is Matt Hancock getting paid?
Mike Tindall net worth: Is he one of the richest campmates ever?
Does I’m A Celeb star Owen Warner have a girlfriend?
I’m A Celebrity 2022: Who is favourite to leave tonight’s show?

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