Ben Shephard has responded to rumours that he has secretly joined the cast for this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! series.
Last week, This Morning viewers became suspicious when Ben announced that he would be absent from the daytime show for several weeks.
Ben, who usually co-hosts This Morning with Cat Deeley, informed fans: “I am taking a few weeks away to take some time to do a project for ITV.”
This led many to become convinced that Ben would soon be jetting off to Australia to join the lineup for I’m A Celebrity.
However, Ben has now broken his silence on the matter and has confirmed that he is not joining the hit jungle series. Instead, he has travelled to New Zealand, where he will be filming his new show The Summit.
Described as a cross between SAS: Who Dares Wins and Race Across The World, The Summit will see 14 strangers face the challenge of climbing to the top of one of New Zealand’s most treacherous mountains.
Within the space of two weeks, the competitors will be racing to the summit for the chance to win a share of up to £200,000.
Earlier today, Ben appeared on This Morning and spoke to hosts Cat Deeley and Alison Hammond about his new show for the first time.
Addressing his I’m A Celebrity speculation, the 49-year-old joked: “I’m actually not in the jungle. Even my mum messaged me saying, ‘Are you going into the jungle?’ I had to say, ‘Mum, I’m not in the jungle, I’ve gone a bit further south.’ I’m in New Zealand, in the south island.”
Praising his New Zealand surroundings, Ben gushed: “It’s just the most breathtaking landscape I’ve ever seen. Every time you look around, Cat and Alison, you just want to take a picture. It’s extraordinary.”
The new lineup for I’m A Celebrity will be announced later today (November 11), with stars such as Coleen Rooney, Danny Jones and Tulisa already rumoured to be taking part.