15 December 2004
By ANNA JONES
I'M
A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! star Paul Burrell has spoken of his
disappointment after his jungle chats about Wrexham FC were edited out of the
show.
And he said that during live coverage from the camp, his attempts to raise the
issue of The Racecourse were dubbed out by the sound of birds singing.
But the Reds fan said his fellow celebrities were more than interested in the
club's plight.
He added: "I tried to say "Wrexham' as many times as I could but all my football
club conversations were covered by birdie sounds.
"It was just a little too controversial to air.
"But everyone was very interested. The football fans in the camp were interested
in the plight of Wrexham FC.
"I think it is very unfair that they have suffered so badly and lost 10 points."
Runner-up Paul is back in business after surviving two weeks in the Australian
rainforest with creepy crawlies, rats, mosquitoes and Janet Street-Porter.
But he has had little time to enjoy his creature comforts and, since stepping on
British soil, it has been a whirlwind of interviews, travelling between London
and his home in Farndon, working in his shop and, of course, catching up with
family and friends.
He said: "It took me three hours to do my shopping.
"People were so sweet and they wouldn't let me go. It's incredible."
After spending a few days at home, he has journeyed back to London today in time
for two television appearances with Frank Skinner and guests Frank Lampard and
Amanda Holden tomorrow night and children's show Ministry of Mayhem on Saturday
morning.
"It's amazing that six-year-old children know who I am," said the father-of-two.
"They weren't even born when the Princess was alive."
His profile has shot through the roof and Paul admitted to feeling overwhelmed
by the huge level of support from people all over the country, and especially
those at home.
He said: "I would just like to thank all the readers of the Evening Leader for
supporting me and having faith in me.
"Raising such a huge sum of money for Nightingale House was the biggest pleasure
for me.
"They have always been behind me. I have been involved with a number of
charities in the past and not all of them stayed beside me in my trials; but
Nightingale House did and I will continue to raise money for them." Although
Paul has watched very little of his time in the jungle, he has seen recordings
of his bushtucker trials and felt a mixture of pride and disbelief.
He said: "I am surprised by what I see. I can't quite believe it was me doing
all those things - a tightrope, a trapeze, falling out of an aeroplane and
eating stuff I wouldn't normally eat.
"That's a side of me people have not seen before and I have been waiting seven
years to be myself and finally the real Paul Burrell gets to stand up."
So how is he recovering from his jungle capers, bushtucker trials and hundreds
of mosquito bites?
"I could not wait for a bag of chips and a pint of Guinness.
"I was bitten more times than Joe Pasqaale but you couldn't see them as much
because I have darker skin; Joe is quite pale.
"I was told that my bushtucker trials will go down as a classic piece of
television; one of those golden moments." They said it was the best trial they
ever had because it was so visual and so vocal," he smiled.