Larry Lamb’s family fears the jungle is too much for him

Larry Lamb’s family fears his upcoming stint on I’m A Celebrity could be too much for him.

The 69-year-old actor is one of the oldest ever contestants to head to the jungle, and has a long line of illnesses that could make him extra-susceptible to any jungle mishaps or diseases.

In fact, it’s such a concern that the former EastEnders star had to call a family conference to get his relatives on board with his decision to go.

How very Walford.

“It’s a family business,” he told reporters yesterday. “Everybody had to agree that it was ok for the old boy to do it. We had a family meeting.”

Larry’s roll call of ilnesses and injuries to date include chronic hip and knee pain and almost losing his hearing due to a bout of malaria.

It was his kids, including TV host George Lamb, who finally gave him the go ahead to jet off down under.

Of course, fans of last year’s surprise contestant Lady Colin Campbell may well know that she dated Larry back in the ‘70s following her split from husband Lord Colin. So is she on hand to offer some words of advice for dealing with kangaroo anus suppers? Sadly not.

“We’ve not spoken about it to tell the truth,” explains Larry. “We were friends back in the Seventies and Eighties so it was a bit of a coincidence.

“I’ve known plenty of other people that have been on it over the years. To be perfectly honest it is always fascinating to watch. Most of these people I’ve met at some time.“

Larry also claimed that he won’t be putting the younger campers in their place if there’s any friction in the jungle.

"It won’t be anything to do with me,” he told The Sun. “It’s not my part. It’s bad enough being the old one.”