Olivia Attwood's appearance on 'I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!' had been planned for five years and she fears she won't get another chance to go back into the jungle.
Olivia Attwood spent five years planning her appearance on I'm A Celebrity
The 'Love Island' star entered the show for the 2023 series but was later removed on medical grounds after a routine blood test showed signs of anaemia leaving her devastated - and she's now revealed her stint on the show had been in the works ever since she left the villa back in 2017.
During an appearance on 'This Morning' on Monday (14.11.22), she explained: "I’ve been a big fan of the show all my life … and those conversations about 'I’m A Celebrity' started the year I left 'Love Island' so it’s been five years in the making leading up to that moment ... "
Olivia became the first ever former 'Love Island' star to join 'I'm A Celebrity' and it's made it even more difficult for her to deal with leaving early.
She went on: "There was that thing will they ever put someone from 'Love Island' in there. I know it sounds self-indulgent but yeah I think you come off the show [Love Island] and get huge opportunities but you can get put in a box I was looking forward to showing a different side of myself … I was loving it."
Since flying back to the UK, Olivia has undergone more tests and found she's perfectly healthy but she explained show bosses just couldn't risk putting her back into the jungle.
She said: "I was like 'shall we go back?' and I knew there would be Covid tests and things like that but there was a pause in proceedings there, and it was late at night and taking me back into camp doesn't work logistically so I went to a hotel and basically as I now know the conversations went on all through the night with production obviously desperate to have me back in, but the medical team ... I think it's an insurance thing. Because they had those readings, they had to seek other party opinions and it's a collective decision."
She went on: "Their opinion was well they [the blood test results] went that low before, what if we put her back in and they drop back down again and we wouldn’t be covered [by the insurance] because it had already been flagged up ...
"Thank God [I'm healthy]. Being healthy … I’m grateful I’m healthy but it makes it harder I think to accept because I’m fine but it is what it is. There are worse things happening in the world. I’m very lucky to be in the position I’m in but gutted."
Olivia also fears she may never get the chance to do the show again because her diary is completely full for the next year.
She added: "The problem we had this year is like luckily which I feel so grateful for is I’ve got my other shows, I’ve got the documentary which are all scheduled up until this point next year.
"So we’ve already moved everything once and I daren’t even approach that question yet so I think it will just be a logistical thing ... would we be able to make it work? … I would love to [go back next year]. I was loving it."