ITV bosses were forced to make the difficult decision after the comic suffered an extreme allergic reaction during a Bushtucker Trial.

ITV bosses were forced to axe campmate Freddie Starr over health fears (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is back on our screens and it’s already delivering plenty of drama live from the Australian jungle. This year, 10 celebrities have jetted Down Under to take part in the ITV series, with the likes of TV presenter Alex Scott, Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley, and Ozzy Osbourne’s son Jack Osbourne, who arrived in the camp yesterday. Tonight, fans will see YouTuber Angry Ginge take part in a gruelling Bushtucker Trial accompanied by comic Ruby Wax.

Usually, the winter ITV series is jam-packed with wild challenges, deadly snakes, grim food, and heartwarming bonding exercises between campmates. But the long-running show hasn’t been without its tragedies over the years, and some of its star-studded campmates are sadly no longer with us.

One star who has passed away since their time in the jungle Down Under is Freddie Starr. The beloved British comedian soared to fame in the 1970s and 80s, quickly becoming one of Britain’s biggest entertainers.

After stepping back from the showbiz for several years, Freddie returned to the spotlight in 2011 when he entered the jungle. But days into his stay, ITV bosses were forced to remove him from the show after fearing he could die during filming.

Their concerns came after he collapsed following an intense trial against Made In Chelsea star Mark Wright. The duo was tasked with eating a fermented egg, a pig’s anus, and a camel’s toe in less than two minutes.

But they were forced to cut the trial short over fears that the comedian had suffered an extreme allergic reaction. One source told the Mirror at the time that they couldn’t risk him getting ill again and banned him from returning to camp.

The beloved comedian died penniless in his flat in Spain (Image: ITV)

The insider told the outlet: “Freddie is clearly not well, and life in the jungle is tough. The last thing we want is for him to get really ill, or, heaven forbid, die live on television. It felt irresponsible to allow him back in the jungle.”

After he left the show, the comic became a recluse, relying on his carer as his only regular form of company. It is understood that he was estranged from his six children when he died.

In 2019, the comic died of a heart attack in his £170,000 one-bedroom flat on the Costa del Sol in the heart of Spain. It was reported at the time that Freddie was struggling financially, so much so that there were plans to give him a pauper’s burial in Spain.

Thankfully, a stranger intervened to cover the costs of his reparation and funeral. Funeral director Michael Fogg, from Sheffield, ultimately covered the fee to bring the star’s body back to the UK.

Michael told The Daily Mail: “Anyone who can make a funeral director laugh must be a bloody good comedian. And Freddie Starr could make me laugh. He shouldn’t be buried in a foreign land; he should be brought back to his own country.

“For those asking why I am paying, well, it is my money, it is my business, and that is what I want to spend my money on. He should be reunited with the people he loved and his family.”

Following his passing, Freddie’s carer, Nelly, from Bulgaria, revealed that he had been distant from his relatives for years and that she was the one who discovered his body when he died.

She told the Daily Record: “Freddie had bad feelings about back home, he felt the British people had deserted him. It would be terrible if Freddie ends up being buried in a pauper’s grave. I don’t want to see that happen, but I’m worried that if I tried to do something about it, his relatives would object.”