Ben Fogle urges ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ bosses to “respect” nature.
Ben Fogle thinks I'm A Celeb should foster care for nature
The ‘Lost Worlds’ presenter wants the ITV reality show - which is coming back for a new series on Sunday (06.11.2022) with stars such as ex ‘Love Island’ star Olivia Atwood, Radio X DJ Chris Moyles and 80s pop icon Boy George - to come up with other ways to make campmates “suffer” that doesn’t involve terrorising creepy crawlies.
The 49-year-old broadcaster told the Daily Star newspaper: “I hope ‘I’m A Celebrity’ will reinforce that we should respect and marvel at wildlife. There’s plenty of ways of making celebrities suffer.
"How we treat one species should be our attitude to all flora and fauna. A lot of kids watch that show. Sticking a live animal in your mouth, I struggle to see what message that is giving to youngsters.
“The suggestion that one animal is more important than another and we should be scared of insects. Why is a dog more important than a cockroach or spider? I’d like to see how we treat animals being more considered.”
Ben - who has daughter Iona, 11, and son Ludovic, 12, with his wife Marina, 44 - admitted to “rarely” eating meat himself unless it’s the respectful thing to do when making a documentary.
He said: “I rarely eat meat. If I am filming one of my shows, and that’s how people live, I do.”
And The UN Patron of the Wilderness tries to use his telly work to show that nature “are not all scary".
He added: “But as an animal lover with dogs, I’ve tried to show on my shows that wild animals are not all scary.”
The Ant and Dec-fronted competition show - which is returning to Australia after two years being filmed in north Wales' Gwrych Castle due to COVID-19 - has been facing backlash for casting disgraced former health secretary Matt Hancock and his reported fee of £400,000.
A rep for the member of parliament - who had the Conservative whip removed for his decision - defended the move as he will “making a donation” to various causes.
They said: “Matt will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supporting dyslexia off the back of his appearance. He will also declare the amount he receives from the show to Parliament to ensure complete transparency, as normal.”
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