Janice Dickinson breaks silence on nasty fall in I’m A Celeb camp that forced her to quit show
JANICE Dickinson has spoken for the first time about her horror fall in the I’m A Celebrity…South Africa camp that forced her to quit the show.
The Sun revealed last week how the camp was woken by a sickening thud when the supermodel, 68, slammed face-first to the ground in the dark as she tried to make her way to the dunny.
She was found with blood gushing from a head wound having suffered concussion, a black eye, bruised cheeks, a split lip and fractures to her hands.
Now Janice has opened up on the nasty tumble ahead of the series launch on Monday, revealing how she was “always on guard” on the “scary steps” down to the wash zone.
She said: "Everything went on our show, believe me. There were ups, there were downs. There was lots of laughter and lots of tears."
Camp pal Fatima Whitbread then told how she had been trying to protect her friend for fear of an accident just like that occurring.
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The Olympian said: “I'm a light sleeper anyway, so I was constantly concerned about you falling down those steps.
“ I was always constantly thinking about what was going on at nighttime, if you were any movement in camp, just wanted to be sure that you were safe and sound."
Janice added: "Low and behold..."
Janice, who came runner-up in 2007, was rushed by ambulance to hospital after the incident and had to pull out of the all-star show, which was filmed last summer in Kruger National Park.
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It is not yet known if the drama will feature in the prerecorded, three-week show, which unites viewers’ favourites from previous series.
Speaking about the accident, a source told the Sun on Sunday: "It was terrifying. Everyone was woken by a sickening thud.
"A few of the campmates ran towards the noise and found Janice face down. She seemed to be semi-conscious on the ground.
"Blood was gushing from her head and she was covered in dirt and dust.
"The on-set medics are very good but this needed her going to a fully equipped hospital.
"There were fears that she had suffered a cracked skull but she was later given the all-clear by doctors."
Speaking this week, Janice revealed the new camp proved more frightening than the original set-up in Australia because the animals were far wilder.
She added: “You never know what's going to pop out of the bushes. I mean I was always on guard in case a lion was going to come bounding in.
“You never know because it's Lions Country out there.
“There's so many experiences I learned living in the bush and especially about getting through the night because some birds were landing by my cot.
“I think they were vultures - huge black birds - going, "Caw!" always just in right by my ear.
“I was scared that they were going to peck my eyes out or something. I was sleeping under my sleeping bag with the zipper all the way, zipped up to my head feeling that something's going to crawl into my bed at night. “It's really quite scary. “
Other celebrities involved in the special series include Happy Mondays star Shaun Ryder, actress Helen Flanagan, cricket legend Phil Tufnell, former royal butler Paul Burrell, TV host Carol Vorderman, DJ Jordan Banjo, athletics star Fatima Whitbread and boxer Amir Khan.
It comes as The Sun revealed a first look at the brand new camp in the Kruger National Park.
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We also told how the trials in this series, which was prerecorded last year, include the highest ever challenge faced in I’m A Celebrity history.
I’m A Celebrity…South Africa begins next Monday April 24 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
