I’m A Celebrity is a ratings smash as nearly 12million viewers tune in for Holly Willoughby’s debut
I'M A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'s launch last night was a ratings smash - with almost 12 million viewers tuning in for Holly Willoughby's co-hosting debut.
The This Morning presenter joined Declan Donnelly in the Aussie outback while his usual co-star, Ant McPartlin, continues with his extended break from the spotlight.
An average of 11 million tuned in last night, with ratings peaking at 11.9 million.
I'm A Celeb had 51% of the ratings share, with 750,000 more fans switching on this year than in 2017.
In fact, last night marked the highest ratings for I'm A Celeb's launch show in five years for ITV - making it the biggest overnight rating of 2018 aside from the World Cup.
Despite so many viewers eagerly tuning in, Holly's jungle debut received a mixed response from fans - with some criticising her "lack of banter" with Dec.
Following the launch, bookies upped the chances of the 37-year-old blonde beauty quitting the show mid-series as she also struggled to deal with the jungle critters.
Paddy Power have slashed their odds from 25/1 to 16/1 - with Extra Camp host, and former Queen of the Jungle, Scarlett Moffatt 20/1 favourite to replace the star.
A spokesperson for Paddy Power explained: "It’s early days, but watching Dec without Ant just doesn’t quite feel right, and Holly’s already taken some flak for her debut jungle performance.
"So much so that we’ve slashed the likelihood of her bowing out before the series with over, and returning to our screens alongside Philip Schofield."
During the launch, Holly squealed and ran off-screen as the trailer for the first Bushtucker Trial was shown.
In tonight's episode, Holly screamed and ran off again after Emily Atack was bitten by a snake as she attempted to win stars in the challenge.
Jungle medic Bob previously told The Sun that the mum-of-three is "more terrified of jungle critters than all the stars".
He explained: "All I have to do is talk to her and look at the floor and she goes: 'What’s on the floor?'
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