Yahoo News ITV I'm A Celeb's Alan Halsall shares major concern ahead of jungle debut
I'm A Celebrity.. Get Me Out of Here! contestant Alan Halsall says one of the things he will miss most is work - because he feels blessed to be Coronation Street for over 25 years and can't imagine life without Tyrone Dobbs.
The iconic actor first stepped on the cobbles back in 1998 and has stayed there ever since, meaning the jungle is a huge departure from his normal life in Manchester.
He told the Mirror: "I'm super close to my family and my friends and there are lots of things I'm going to miss. I'm going to miss work. I love my job, I love going into work, I love the people.
"It is a very difficult thing to put into words, kind of just how big a thing it is in my life. It has been a huge part of my life for just over 26 years now.
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"And I love the show. It's not just the show, it's the people, the people that you see on screen, but the people behind the cameras, the crew, storyliners, writers, people that I've known for that whole time.
"I'm in a job that's different every day that I still love and I love waking up in the morning, thinking I'm going to work. So I feel very blessed for that."
Alan, 42, also admitted he won't know how many trials he can really take on until he tests his knee after rupturing his ACL a year ago. It delayed his chance to go into the jungle by 12 months but bosses kept the faith that he will be a good campmate in 2024 with the current mix of stars.
His other worry is his 11-year-old daughter Sienna who wasn't super keen on him initially doing the show as it will be the longest they have ever been apart, but he hopes she will be smiling again when the show starts and she can see him on screen.
He and former wife Lucy-Jo Hudson split up in 2018 after she had Sienna in 2013. Alan said: "I don't think many people in my life get to see just how emotional I generally am about Sienna. I have nowhere to hide now for the next few weeks. We'll let's see how that goes.
"It was much, much harder than I thought and I fully appreciate that it's a couple of weeks away but to Sienna at her age, I'm on the other side of the world, she doesn't get to see me and speak to me on the phone and stuff.
"It wasn't the show, it had nothing to do with that. I actually think she'll really love that and to see me covered in creepy crawlies or whatever else they're going to do to me in the show.
"It was simply the case that I'll be gone for a few weeks and that was really difficult. So yeah, I think once I get on screen, hopefully she can watch it with a smile on her face and have a good laugh at Dad and hopefully dad doesn't embarrass her too much."
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! returns to ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Sunday, November 17
