Yahoo News Who is Fred Sirieix? Meet the I'm A Celebrity star
The First Dates star has arrived in Australia.
First Dates star Fred Sirieix has touched down in Australia ahead of the new series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!.
As he confirmed his stint on I'm A Celeb, the TV star freely admitted: "I'm scared of everything."
His agreement to take part might come as a surprise to some as he previously said he had no plans to go into the Oz jungle.
Here's all you need to know about Sirieix and what he's said about the ITV show previously.
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Who is Fred Sirieix?
The French restaurant host first shot to fame in the UK welcoming singles to the First Dates restaurant in Channel 4's reality series.
Sirieix was known for his professional attitude to even the most cringeworthy of dating situations, and as the series went on he often offered his advice on love to daters.
He's since appeared in other entertainment and food-related shows, most notably the series Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip, a travel series with chefs Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Acampo.
His daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix is a professional diver on the British team who won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
What Fred Sirieix has said about I'm A Celeb?
Initially the First Dates star was fearful when he got the call from TV bosses but he was determined to overcome it.
"I knew it was serious when I got the call," he said. "I got scared and I don’t like to be limited by fear.
"But then I thought, ‘Ok this is a challenge’ and I knew I wanted to do it. It’s a challenge to be away from my friends, family, comfort, only drinking water, no coffee, no wine, no mustard on my steak and - in fact - no steak! I am seeing this as a wellness retreat. It’s an opportunity to get closer to myself inside my head and to see life through a different lens and in a place I feel uncomfortable."
As he swaps his luxury lifestyle for basic food rations, the TV star has shared how he thinks he will cope in the Oz jungle alongside his celebrity campmates.
He said: "It’s all going to be hard, but it’s good to do things that take you out of your comfort zone. I have been training harder than I have trained in the last three or four years. I go to the gym, I go to boxing, I train like a machine - that’s my way to cope with doing I’m A Celebrity. This isn’t a 100m race. You are going in for the long haul."
He added: “The main challenge is going to be the potential boredom. But what I am looking forward to is being away from the phone and emails. The phone is my biggest addiction.
His showbiz friends will be the ones voting for him to do the Bushtucker trials.
"They are going to laugh and rip me to shreds," he said. "I think they will vote for me to do the trials!"
Fred Sirieix initially ruled out I'm A Celeb
His name might have been rumoured for the I'm A Celeb cast for weeks now, but fans of Sirieix could be a little surprised to see him arrive in camp.
Speaking to Hello! as recently as 2022, the fine dining connoisseur ruled out ever becoming a campmate, but has obviously had a change of heart over the last 18 months.
He said at the time: "I don't think I'd do I'm A Celebrity, I wouldn't be too keen on eating a camel's anus or something like that.
"I know I eat frogs, I'm French, but at least those frogs are cooked! They are deliciously prepared, whereas a camel's anus is put in a blender and you have to eat it raw. It's awful. I know people who have been there - it's really not 'gastronomie'."
Who will Fred Sirieix clash with in camp?
It already looks like a row could be brewing between Sirieix and one of his co-stars.
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is expected to be the most controversial campmate in this year's series and Sirieix, a vocal critic of Brexit, has made no secret of his views on Farage.
In 2017 he had tweeted a link to an article about Farage and Brexit, writing: "Farage is a coward who likes money, attention & the sound of his own voice far too much. Definitely not a selfless idealistic revolutionary."
As Sirieix arrived in Brisbane airport, reporters asked him who he would least like to go camping with and he laughed: "I'll let you guess, I'll let you guess!"
I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! returns to ITV at 9pm on Sunday, 19 November.
