ITV's I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! has been a staple of our telly schedules since 2002, with famous faces braving everything from skydives to munching on bugs in locations as diverse as the Aussie jungle, South Africa's Krueger Park and even rainy Gwrych Castle in Wales.

This year, Jamie Lynn Spears, Sam Thompson, Josie Gibson, Fred Sirieix, Nella Rose, Nigel Farage, Grace Dent, Marvin Humes, Danielle Harold and Nick Pickard were all dropped into camp on Sunday, 19 November.

As a new group of celebrities enter camp and the 23rd series gets underway, OK! remember some of the jungle favourites who are no long with us.

Since it first hit our screens two decades ago, fans have said goodbye to the likes of Eric Bristow, David Gest and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson.

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

Model and socialite Tara was one of the first celebs to brave the jungle, joining the likes of Tony Blackburn, Christine Hamilton and Darren Day in the very first series. She had us all in stitches and came close to being crowned Queen of the Jungle.

One of her hilarious straight-talking moments that had viewers chuckling was when she told off Darren for breaking wind. She said to him: "When you do that it makes me go 'yuck, I don't want to be near you'. I don't what to smell your insides 24/7."

In February 2017, Tara sadly died aged 45. She died from a peritonitis and a perforated ulcer, her sister later revealed. Tara had been diagnosed with a prolactinoma – a benign tumour (adenoma) of the pituitary gland – the previous year. Following the heartbreaking news of her passing, campmate Darren tweeted: "I'm so sad to hear that Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has passed away. Thoughts and love to her family RIP Tara."

Freddie Starr

Comedian Freddie Starr spent two days in the jungle during the 2011 series but he had to withdraw from the competition due to health reasons. Explaining his exit, he said: "I was sorry to hear the news about what the doctors said – that I was allergic to something, to play it safe and best for me not to go back in."

While he was only in the jungle for a short time, the star left a big impression as he appeared alongside Mark Wright, Corrie's Antony Cotton and athlete Fatima Whitbread. He even told hosts Ant and Dec that he wasn't bother by the smell of a fermented egg as he wolfed one day.

The comedian died aged 76. He was found dead at his Spanish home on May 9, 2019, and a post-mortem exam concluded he had died from coronary artery disease.

David Gest

American music producer David kept fans entertained during his stint on I'm A Celeb in 2006, finishing fourth in the competition. David, ex-husband of Liza Minelli, was known for his dry sense of humour and was a favourite among the campmates – amusing them with stories about his maid, Vaginica Seaman.

"Her mother loved her body part so much, that she decided if she had a girl, she was going to call her Vaginica," David told the bemused jungle dwellers, before confirming: "No bull."

The star was on the show with former newsreader Jan Leeming and EastEnders ' star Dean Gaffney, who had Ant and Dec in hysterics as he screamed during his trials. David passed away, aged 62, in 2016 after suffering a stroke while in a hotel in London.

Eric Bristow

In the 2012 series of I'm A Celebrity, darts player Eric Bristow came fourth and he told Ant and Dec: "I had a great time but I would have liked to make the last three. I would have liked to have a go at the grubs for my kids."

Londoner Eric and Made in Chelsea's Hugo Taylor developed a bromance during their time in the jungle, with Eric telling his campmate: "I'm sure we'll be dear friends for the rest of our lives." Eric, 60, suffered a heart attack while attending a Premier League Darts event at the Echo Arena in Liverpool and died in April 2018.

Bobby Ball

Back in 2005, Bobby – one half of the comedy duo Cannon and Ball – had a stint on I'm A Celeb. He even strutted his stuff in a pink catsuit during an impromptu fashion show in camp.

Reflecting on his jungle experience in 2013, he shared with The Mirror: "I endured starvation, sickness and spider bites but I missed Yvonne (his wife) like crazy." Sadly, Bobby passed away from Covid-19 complications in October 2020 at the age of 76.

* This article was crafted with the help of an AI engine, which speeds up OK!'s editorial research and applies it to article templates created by journalists in our newsrooms. An OK! editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]

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