Loose Women star reveals exactly why she rejected I’m A Celebrity offer

Loose Women panellist Katie Piper has explained why she’s turned down I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

The activist and TV star has appeared on the likes of Strictly Come Dancing and fronted several documentaries as well as her ITV morning programme, but has said a firm no to Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s bushtucker trials.

Ahead of celebrities heading into the jungle later this year, names for the rumoured line-up are beginning to emerge, including Lisa Riley and Shona McGarty. But Katie revealed she’s not following suit in an exclusive interview.

She shared: "I’ve been asked to do I’m A Celebrity a couple of times, I like watching it and I’m a fan of the show, I thought it was a brilliant year last year, I was supporting GK Barry and Jane Moore who were in it from Loose Women.

“But I have turned it down because there are so many different things in there that I wouldn’t be able to do for medical reasons that I feel like I would have come across as so boring to the audience, being exempt from all the challenges, and that would kill me because I’m quite competitive.

“I really like putting myself out there and putting myself forward, I would pass myself as a real lover of life and I love a challenge, so to be in a show where I’d have to be medically exempt from so much stuff, I think would be not seeing the best side of me.”

She added: “I have to say, I think it’s a really good programme and they got really good campmates in the most recent one.”

Katie underwent an eye operation in 2023 following the long-lasting effects of a horrific acid attack she faced in 2008, organised by her ex-boyfriend.

She almost lost her life and faced time in intensive care, and underwent multiple surgeries on her face, and has keeping fans updated with her recoveries.

Despite the devastating attack, Katie was determined to come back stronger and later released a documentary titled Katie Piper: My Beautiful Face to share her story, as well as launching the Katie Piper Foundation to help other burns victims.

After her tarsorrhaphy procedure, which involved a semi-permanent closure of her eye which saw it stitched up, Katie opened up about her health on Loose Women, saying: “I’ve had a lot of problems with my eye in the last year and a half, I don’t like to go on about it because there’s always somebody worse off.

“It’s been quite painful so it’s quite a relief for me to finally have it stitched up, because it’s a lot more comfortable. It’s not permanent, it’s going to be for just about a year like this then hopefully I can have it opened.”

She added: “I always try and respect my health which is more unusual for a younger person because we don’t think about something until it starts to deteriorate, and I suppose I did experience both of my eyes being damaged at quite a young age.”

Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX and I'm A Celebrity returns to ITV later this year