Curse of I’m a Celeb soap legends – from winner forced to sell home to love rat dumped by furious ex after show romance
CORONATION Street legend Alan Halsall is in talks to head into the jungle for this year’s I’m A Celebrity.
The cobbles stalwart, 40, has played unlucky-in-love mechanic Tyrone Dobbs on the ITV soap for over 25 years.
His antics on the street have made him a firm favourite of viewers, and I’m A Celeb bosses are said to be thrilled he’s considering the show.
And he’d be following in the footsteps of many of his Corrie co-stars who’ve proved a hit Down Under.
But while I’m A Celeb has done wonders for some soap actors’ profiles, others ended up worse off after their stint on the ITV reality show.
Here we take a look at the soap stars who fell on hard times after leaving the jungle.
Jacqueline Jossa
Jacqueline, 30, rose to fame playing Lauren Branning on EastEnders, but quit in 2018.
But without a regular pay cheque the mum-of-two was left struggling for money and was forced to sell her house.
She told the Daily Mail: “Once you’re gone, when you’re not on the show [EastEnders], you don’t have money. Done! You’re not paid anything else.
“I’m going to have to do like a shoot. People go, ‘Why are you selling your soul?’ I’m feeding my kids. That’s the difference. I’m not embarrassed, I’m not ashamed.”
Jac decided to go on I’m A Celeb in 2019 to boost her profile – but while she was crowned Jungle Queen, it thrust the spotlight on her marriage to Towie star Dan Osbourne.
They had split briefly in 2018, after it was alleged he slept with Love Islander Gabby Allen, but they reconciled before she went into the jungle.
However, Jacqueline threatened to quit the show when Rak-Su singer Myles Stephenson claimed he believed Dan did cheat on her with Gabby.
While she was on I’m A Celeb, The Sun revealed Dan had strayed by having a threesome with Natalie Nunn and British glamour model Chloe Ayling.
While Dan initially denied it, he eventually admitted to his bad behaviour and publicly apologised to his wife.
The pair pushed through their rough patch and now Jacqueline’s career is back on track, with her returning briefly to EastEnders.
Dean Gaffney
Actor Dean, 45, rose to fame playing EastEnders’ bad boy Robbie Jackson but left the show in 2004 before returning several times.
He went on I’m A Celeb in 2006, and during the show he admitted to having an affair behind long-term partner Sarah Burge‘s back.
They eventually split in 2015, after more cheating allegations emerged. At the time of their split Dean said: “No one wants to see pictures of someone that’s been in their life for so long with someone else. No one wants to be humiliated.”
He then had a devastating car accident in 2013 which left him with serious brain injuries.
Dean said: “It could have been a lot worse. One inch down and I would have been blind. One inch up, and I would have been brain damaged.”
In 2019 he was involved in two more car crashes within four months but thankfully no one was seriously harmed.
He’d gone back to EastEnders, but was axed in October that year, allegedly over a string of boozed-up disasters and kiss-and-tell scandals.
Danny Miller
Emmerdale actor Danny, 32, won the 2021 series of I’m A Celeb, but things haven’t been smooth sailing for him since.
Fans were shocked when he signed up shortly after the birth of his son Albert.
He then quit Emmerdale, but a year later he shut down his acting company, Cannon Professional Acting Company, with records showing it had £117,527 of debt.
Earlier this year it was reported he was facing a government probe over its collapse.
The actor briefly returned to Emmerdale for six weeks in October last year as part of its 50th birthday celebrations.
Marc Bannerman
Actor Marc, 49, known for playing Gianni di Marco in EastEnders, left his partner Sarah Matravers devastated when he started up a romance in the jungle with singer Cerys Matthews.
Footballers Wives – Extra Time actress Sarah, 49, gave him the boot when he returned home in 2007.
Having flown out to Australia to support him on the show, after finding out about his behaviour she said: “I want to throttle him.
“I’m looking forward to getting hold of his suitcase in the Versace hotel and going through his shirts to cut them up, just like the ones I’ve done at home.”
She later made allegations that he had attacked her during their stormy relationship, which Marc denied.
Sarah initially started legal proceedings, but prosecutors dropped the case.
Marc only lasted three months with Cerys before they split.
Laila Morse
Soap icon Laila, 77, was left struggling after her stint on I’m A Celebrity in 2013.
That year she was declared bankrupt after finding herself £150-200k in debt. The star opened up about hiding when bailiffs knocked on her door during her rock bottom period.
In her autobiography, she wrote: “When they announced the bankruptcy I felt shame. I felt disgraced. You don’t want to go out anywhere or see anybody. You feel people are looking at you.”
She delighted fans by returning as the iconic Mo Harris in EastEnders in 2018 – having left two years previously.
But behind the scenes she was dealing with her drug addicted son Gerry Bromfield, now 54.
In 2012 Bromfield was jailed for eight months after getting high on cocaine and booze, stealing her Audi, and then crashing it during a police chase.
He admitted at one point he spent “£300 a day on heroin” and was “thieving all the time”.
Stuart Manning
Hollyoaks actor Stuart, 44, left viewers shocked and disgusted when he and fellow camp mate Gino D’Acampo caught and then cooked a rat after going hungry in the jungle.
The duo faced animal cruelty charges and ITV was fined £2,000 for showing it on telly.
Nine years after the fiasco, Stuart briefly returned to Hollyoaks as Russell Owens, only to be killed off three months later.
He has had limited work since, with his last telly job being on Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge.
Lorraine Chase
Emmerdale veteran Lorraine, 72, appeared on the show in 2013 and was fourth to be evicted from the jungle.
Two years later she was diagnosed with cancer and said she would opt to go to Dignitas if it was terminal.
It was the second time she had been diagnosed with the disease, having survived cervical cancer in 2001.
She told the Daily Mail: “I don’t want to drift into old age consumed with fear of illness, fear of not having enough money, fear of ending up in a care home. I want to enjoy every second of health I have left and, when the time comes, say my goodbyes and make a dignified exit.”
Lorraine then had a brush with death when she started choking at a friend’s 50th birthday party and had to be given the Heimlich manoeuvre by a waitress.
She said: “I’ve never been so frightened in all my life. I’m lucky to be alive. I was coughing and choking. I couldn’t breathe.
“Looking back on it now it was quite funny seeing all my friends around me in total shock. They didn’t know what to do.”