Steps’ Claire Richards reveals I’m A Celeb bosses told her she was too thin to star on the show

STEPS star Claire Richards has claimed I'm A Celeb bosses deemed her "too thin" for the jungle.

The British chart-topper, 41, said she was in talks to appear on the ITV reality series but was turned down because they wanted her "to be fat".

Claire has admitted yo-yo dieting over the years, fluctuating between a sizes 10 and 20.

However the star made a conscious effort to shed the pounds after doctors warned her weight gain could impact her health and fertility.

In 2017 she showed off her six stone weight loss after adopting healthy eating habits she could stick to.

But the singer has claimed her slimmer figure once hindered her chances of starring on I'm A Celebrity.

Speaking on the podcast Official Charts: Take The Hit, she said: "I went for a meeting (with I'm A Celebrity) once a long, long time ago.

"But it was a time when I'd just lost quite a lot of weight but they didn't realise that I had.

"They wanted me to be fat apparently, that was the excuse I got back, that I was too thin.

"I'm glad because I watch it on TV now and I love it, but I know I wouldn't last two seconds."

An ITV spokesperson said: "I'm A Celebrity would never cast campmates based on their shape or size - all celebrities are assessed for their suitability to life in the jungle."

Claire has appeared on a number of reality TV shows over the years, including Celebrity Big Brother and talent shows Popstar to Operastar and Get Your Act Together.

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