Shaun Ryder has claimed that the long-running feud between him and Gillian McKeith is over and the pair are now ‘more than friends’.
The pair originally competed on series 10 of the original I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2010 with Shaun, 60, who said after her arrival on the current spin-off series, “I almost killed her!”
They then reunited on the show’s South African series, but were the first stars to leave camp on Friday.
On Monday, Shaun and Gillian, 63, walked into the ITV studios holding hands while appearing in Lorraine.
Stand-in host Ranvir Singh said of their closeness: ‘This is either great PR or you really healed the rift… spill the beans’
New romance? Shaun Ryder has claimed his and Gillian McKeith’s long-running feud is over and the pair are now ‘more than friends’
Team: They then reunited on the show’s South African series, but were the first stars to leave camp on Friday
Shaun brought up their past feud, explaining, “I’ve never actually had a breakup.”
Ranvir replied, “Oh, come on.”
Gillian then asked Shaun to apologize live on air for a comment he allegedly made in 2010.
Shaun has told hosts Ant and Dec, “If Gillian were my wife, she’d be in pieces in a plastic bag deep in a hole in the backyard.”
Gillian laughed, “Now we’re like buds.”
To which Shaun cheekily replied, “We’re more than buttons, come on baby”
Gillian said she was ‘afraid’ to make her entrance in case Shaun was there and admitted she thought ‘oh no’ when she saw him among the other camp mates.
She said: ‘We turned a corner, we didn’t get along in 2010 and we’ve come full circle, you can do it. You don’t have to take the past with you to the future.’
It comes after red-faced Shaun looked like he was shaking with rage when his nemesis Gillian entered the I’m A Celebrity… South Africa camp during Tuesday’s episode.
Television nutritionist Gillian was the latest celebrity contestant to make her debut on the all-stars series Monday night, teasing Happy Mondays singer Shaun’s reaction at the end of Monday’s series opener.
Gillian emerged from a container after being brought in by several men carrying the box, as Shaun watched as sweat dripped from his brow in the heat of South Africa’s Kruger National Park, where the show was filmed in September.
And viewers were elated as the surfaced rivalry unfolded on screen, with one person writing on Twitter, “Putting Shaun Ryder and Gillian McKeith back in the jungle is GENIUS.”
‘Already tense in the camp. If looks could kill, Gillian would be gone with Shaun’s look,” another show fan wrote.
Another person wrote, “Shaun Ryders’ face was a photo, not you Gillian again,” while someone else shared, “Shaun’s face represents all of us when Gillian Mckeith came out of the box.”
Another fan posted, “Shaun Ryder and Gillian being on I’m a celeb again is the best thing ever,” as another person commented, “Shaun Ryder seeing Gillian McKeith is so funny to me.”
Someone else posted, “Poor Shaun. I think Gillian will really mess with him in there. #ImACeleb,” while another viewer wrote, “Gillian and Shaun are definitely going to clash!”
And another person posted, “Oh my god Shaun Ryder back on I’m a celebrity scrapping with Gillian McKeith I love it.”
Close: On Monday, Shaun and Gillian walked into the ITV studios holding hands while starring in Lorraine
Beaming: Shaun appeared in high spirits as he posed for a snap with Gillian and her daughter Afton
Rival: Shaun Ryder, a red-faced 60-year-old, looked like he was shaking with rage when his nemesis Gillian McKeith entered the I’m A Celebrity… South Africa camp during Tuesday’s episode
Gillian made a surprise entry at the I’m A Celebrity… South Africa camp at the end of Monday’s episode, leaving fellow campmate Shaun Ryder furious.
The arrival of the TV personality – who appeared on series 10 of the original I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2010 with Shaun – in camp for the all-stars spin-off show didn’t go down well, when Shaun told the other stars about their first run together, “I almost killed her!”
In the last few minutes of the first episode of this new series, Geordie duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly entered the camp to announce they had a surprise for the celebrities in attendance.
Television nutritionist Gillian was then seen emerging from a container after being brought in by several men carrying the box.
In a preview for Tuesday’s episode, Happy Mondays lead singer Shaun, who was known for feuding with Gillian during his original run, seemed to boil as he reflected on his time with her.
“Gillian arrived in a box, she should have stayed in the box,” he exclaimed.
During the duo’s raging quarrels in 2010, Shaun labeled the Scot “f****** annoying” before telling presenters Ant and Dec: “If Gillian were my wife she’d be in pieces in a plastic bag, deep in a hole in the backyard.’
Despite a potentially shaky start with Shaun, Gillian insisted she was determined to stay strong during her time on the show, which was pre-recorded in South Africa’s Kruger National Park last year.
After famously passing out during a live trial on I’m A Celebrity 12 years ago, Gillian admitted she only accepted an offer to return because she wants to represent “all the terrifying cats in Britain.”
Before stepping foot in the camp, Gillian revealed she was “absolutely terrified and terrified” of appearing for a second time in the series where she voted for eight consecutive trials.
However, Gillian insisted that her fainting was not made up, so she would not have to take another tough Bushtucker trial in 2010.
“I’ve had a history of fainting since childhood,” Gillian explained.
“The day before we did the live trial, I hadn’t eaten much and wasn’t feeling very well – which is the harbinger of fainting.
“I passed out several times and not just in the jungle. I even passed out once at a wedding when I was the maid of honor.
“They were about to say, ‘Are you taking this man for your husband?’ and I fainted.
“Sometimes you can hold yourself back when you get close to the ground, but the problem with the jungle is that there were all those leeches and so I would never throw myself on the ground.
‘But I never could forget my passing out in the jungle! I’ve been reminded every day that I’m a celebrity since I came out by taxi drivers and people on the street!
Original Appearance: Shaun appeared in the 2010 series I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here
Theater? Gillian insisted her fainting was not made up so she wouldn’t have to go through another tough Bushtucker trial in 2010
“They all talk about it like it was yesterday. They say I was amusing.
“It may have been for them, but it certainly wasn’t for me!”
Gillian added: ‘Now when I think about doing I’m A Celebrity again, I feel apprehensive and petrified.
“This time it gets more terrifying because then I didn’t know what to expect, but this time I can’t use that as an excuse.
“What I felt before feels 1,000 times worse now and it’s driving me absolutely nuts, but I feel I have a calling to represent all the faint-hearted in Britain – which is why I said yes.”