Concerned I’m a Celeb bosses are forced to pre-record tonight’s show

I’m A Celeb bosses have been forced to pre-record Friday night’s show amid safety concerns for contestants as Storm Arwen hits Gwrych castle.

Ant & Dec will not present tonight’s episode live for the first time in the show’s 19-year history and filmed their segments earlier this afternoon ahead of the storm worsening.

Storm Arwen is due to hit the local area around 9pm, which is the same time the episode airs on ITV, with producers fearing the impending weather conditions could impact the satellite link.

It comes amid mounting fears that I’m A Celeb bosses have made this year’s series ‘too tough’ following Richard Madeley’s shock departure on Thursday.

An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Tonight’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will be broadcast as a pre-recorded show rather than live due to the developing Storm Arwen and precautionary measures we’re putting into place on production.

‘Ant & Dec will record their links early evening and these will be played out during tonight’s show. Our celebrities will remain inside the castle which is secure and we have contingencies in place to cover all weather scenarios to ensure the safety of our cast and crew.’  

Stars including Frankie Bridge and Naughty Boy, who argued on Thursday’s show over rice, will face further tensions as the storm hits, forcing contestants to shelter together in the freezing castle. 

Gwrych castle has been taking a battering with gale force winds and rain bringing down tree branches and safety signs.

The Met Office has warned there is worse to come for the area around the castle later tonight from a storm they have given the Welsh name of Arwen. 

The first heavy blasts meant security guards who had been brought into Gwrych Castle to protect the eleven remaining celebrities had to leave their posts to retrieve and reposition fencing blown down by the extreme weather.

Road signs which had been held down with sand bags were felled and blown into the road as cars had to swerve to avoid them.

Extreme weather warnings have forced the show’s producers to take emergency measures to protect its stars who are staying in the 19th century castle. 

The Met Office said: ‘Storm Arwen will bring very strong northerly winds into coastal parts of Wales and parts of western England Friday night and into Saturday. ‘

Gwrych castle is positioned high up on a hill in an open space, less than a mile from Liverpool Bay which borders the Irish sea.

The Met office added: ‘Flying debris is likely and could lead to Injuries or danger to life; Probably damage to trees, temporary structures and buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.

‘Some roads and bridges are likely to close; There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

‘Injuries and danger to life is likely from large waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties.’ 

Elsewhere, red alerts – warning of a ‘danger to life’ – have been issued across the northeast of England and Scotland for the first time in three years as Britons are warned to prepare for flooding, blizzards and power cuts.

The red warning, which covers areas including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, will be in place from 3pm Friday until 2am Saturday morning.

Public transport in the red zone will be cancelled as the Met Office warned roofs could be blown off and ‘power lines brought down.’ 

As temperatures on Friday plunged well below average to -4.4C in the Lake District, the Met Office warned commuters of ‘flying debris’ expected to cause chaos on roads, bridges and railway lines.

ITV said it was making preparations for the heavy winter storm and had advised its show’s stars that safety measures may have to be taken.

An I’m A Celeb spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Show bosses are monitoring Storm Arwen and we have contingencies in place to cover all weather scenarios.’

Meanwhile, local resident Diana Pritchard, a retired dental assistant who lives with husband Ian close to the castle, said: ‘We have been warned that the storm is going to last for nine hours from midnight and be absolutely terrible.

‘I hope they take care of the celebrities up there. It’s going to be pretty cold windy and wet and who knows what the storm will do to the trees and the structure of the walls around the castle.’

Sharon Roberts, 41, a charity worker of Rhyl, added: ‘I live close to the coastline. I’m really worried about the sea and what it might do to the houses alongside as the waves are going to be pretty strong.

‘But I would hate to be up there in that castle. They’re not going to get any sleep that’s for sure.

‘I’ve been watching the show and they seem pretty grumpy with low morale. I wonder what this will do to them.

‘It isn’t going to help them in terms of spirit. But I’ll probably make good TV. The show hasn’t been as great this year because no one really knows who most of people are, but a storm hit in the castle will be very dramatic.’ 

It comes after fears that I’m A Celebrity bosses have made this year’s series too tough are mounting after Richard Madeley’s shock departure yesterday.

The ITV show has been dramatically thrown into chaos after three of the contestants – Dame Arlene Phillips, Naughty Boy and Frankie Bridge – sought urgent medical treatment.

To make matters worse, its viewing figures have plummeted by 3 million on the same time last year down to 5.92 million. 

Madeley was forced to quit I’m A Celeb after becoming ill following a gruelling bushtucker trial in which he crawled through fish guts and rotting fruit and vegetables which he complained were cold – before eating a squirrel for dinner. 

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 65, was treated at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Wales – which meant that he broke Gwrych Castle’s Covid-safe bubble and ultimately had to leave the show. 

Former Strictly judge Phillips, who at 78 is the oldest contestant on the series, is reportedly being medicated for ‘chronic pain’. Music producer Naughty Boy, 36, is said to be struggling mentally and Saturdays singer Bridge has developed a rash, The Sun reported.

A spokesman for I’m A Celebrity refused to be drawn on whether this year’s series is too tough for the contestants when approached by MailOnline for comment.

Normally, the celebrities head to sunny Australia to complete horrific challenges which involve handling creepy crawlies and eating ‘wobbly bits’. However, the past two series have taken place in damp and cold Wales because of the pandemic. 

The show’s producers previously told MailOnline how they had planned on making this year’s series even harder for the stars. I’m A Celebrity has been running so long, they argued, that they wanted to throw in extra challenges to keep the contestants ‘on their toes’.

Bosses have scheduled one terrifying bushtucker trial every day of the programme, which airs for three weeks – meaning there will be 25 cruel challenges in total. 

Five celebrities were forced to spend their first few nights in a brand new rival camp where they had to endure hellish living conditions. They have been forced to sleep on the cold hard floor, shower in the dark while having to keep hold of a chain to release water, and brush their teeth in a grubby sink – as well as relive themselves in a cramped privy.

I’m A Celeb creative director Tom Gould told MailOnline: ‘We needed to make this year tougher. We need to keep on pushing the celebrities.

‘Last year we were quite anxious because we didn’t know what we were going to face, we didn’t know how cold it was going to be or if the celebrities would be able to stick it out. They survived, just, so now we’re going to push them even further every series and make sure we keep them on their toes, so they don’t know what is coming.

‘The show has been running for so long now that there are people that know it really, really well so we need to keep the surprise element. It means we have upped our game.’ 

I’m A Celebrity airs daily from 9pm on ITV. 

The Sun reports that Phillips is on painkillers for ‘chronic pain’, while Naughty Boy is having a ‘tough time’ mentally due to being away from his dementia-stricken mum. And Bridge is said to have developed a rash and has had to seek medical attention.

A source said: ‘There are growing concerns for Arlene who is really struggling and in chronic pain, she is being helped around by the likes of David Ginola and Naughty Boy and is looking really frail.

‘It’s hard enough roughing it in the ruins of an old castle let alone at 78 years old. She is a trooper and wants to show everyone how tough she is.’

The insider said Naughty Boy, real name Shahid Khan, is having counselling over his mother’s health.

‘He’s been speaking to the show’s psych team, led by Sandra Scott, on a specially set-up iPad to make sure he is staying upbeat,’ an insider said. ‘This is the longest he has been away from his mother since her diagnosis so they are keen to make sure he’s not spiralling quietly.’

Phillips and Naughty Boy have both previously expressed their desire to leave Gwyrch Castle after struggling in breakout camp, The Clink.

The music producer had been particularly vocal about his desire to leave following the Treacherous Traps trial, with the star remarking: ‘My time here is done!’

He told his fellow campmates: ‘I do think my time here is done. I had a feeling earlier and I was thinking about mum and obviously I love you guys. I don’t think after knowing what the Main Camp probably knew what they were putting me through knowing I did the challenge earlier – I don’t know if I could ever join that camp.’

Naughty Boy’s fellow campers were quick to reassure him but he continued his threats quit altogether and was joined by Phillips – even after the news that they were to join the Main Camp. 

Meanwhile, Phillips said: ‘I feel exactly the same. For me, I was hoping I was going to come out here strong and proud, but it hasn’t started in the right way. I find it unacceptable. I know that I can’t go on and my mind isn’t going to change in the morning, one night isn’t going to change.’ 

The crisis comes after Madeley was forced to leave the show after being rushed to hospital with an unknown medical condition.

In a major blow to the show as one of their top signings, the broadcaster, who was paid an estimated £200,000 to star in this year’s competition, was taken ill hours after participating in a gruelling trial and complaining about the castle’s temperatures.

In a statement, Madeley confirmed he had to quit the series after breaking the show’s ‘Covid bubble’. His daughter Chloe, 34, revealed her father is ‘livid’ he can’t go back into the I’m A Celebrity camp.

He said in a statement: ‘Hello all! Richard here – firstly just to say that I’m absolutely FINE. I started to feel briefly unwell in the small hours of the morning and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

‘By leaving the camp, I had consequently broken the Covid ‘bubble’ and as such I’ve had to leave the castle and all the wonderful celebs that remain in the camp. 

‘Obviously I’m gutted to be leaving so soon but the safety of all the campmates is the number one priority. I’m incredibly excited to watch their journey continue…even more so at the prospect of being somewhere a little warmer than Gwrych Castle…  

‘Thank you to everyone who supported me on my brief but completely unforgettable adventure – I’ve made some great friends and honestly had the time of my life.

A spokesman for I’m A Celebrity added: ‘Our strict Covid protocols means Richard has sadly had to leave the show as he is no longer in the bubble the celebrities form when entering the castle. He has been a truly brilliant camp mate and we thank him for being part of this series.’

It was then revealed on Madeley that Richard is still ‘too ill’ to appear on Good Morning Britain on Monday.

Discussing his experience on Friday show, fellow GMB star Richard Arnold also spoke of the host’s whopping £200,000 fee, admitting he’s ‘not sure he’ll forfeit his fee yet’. 

Ben Shephard admitted that show bosses are unsure whether the former This Morning anchor would be well enough to join them, stating: ‘Apparently we’ll be talking to him on Monday. Maybe we won’t. We’re hearing he’s too ill. Okay, hopefully we’ll talk to Richard on Monday.’

Sharing his opinion on Madeley having to leave the camp, Ben added: ‘It was short and sweet. It’s such a shame because Richard was the person who was trying to persuade the others not to leave and all of a sudden, he’s gone.

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‘It sounds like it was a bit of a Covid-19 protocol issue, he broke the bubble to go to hospital and then couldn’t go back in.

‘I feel like someone’s made a bit of a mistake there. It’s such a shame though because he’s already been such an integral part of the show.’

Source: Daily Mail