She’s Australia’s sweetheart, so fans were delighted when beloved straight shooter Denise Drysdale headed into the jungle for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
But joy quickly turned to dismay when, days later, the 75-year-old was eliminated, leaving some viewers fuming that the competition is rigged!
“Disappointment for the viewers!” wrote one sad fan.
“They get a big name in for a week who does nothing and they are the first to go. It’s called ratings,” blasted another online.
“She could have at least acted surprised,” someone else speculated.
In her exit interview from the show, the national treasure herself however, claimed, “You can’t pre-empt what’s going to happen. You walk in, you do it, it’s different and everybody’s in the same boat. It’s such an experience and I’m glad I’ve done it, but I’m so bloody glad I’m out!”
PLAYING NICE FOR THE CAMERAS!
And according to a TV insider, so were the show’s producers!
“They were on tenterhooks with those two big personalities [Denise and host Julia Morris]. There is a lot of pressure on the current new-look season to not court any negative headlines like series gone by, so they made sure Julia and Denise saved face – at least for the cameras,” says the source.
While the pair only briefly worked together during the mid-’90s on a Nine reboot of variety show In Melbourne Tonight, rumour has it there was no love lost when the pair went their separate ways.
Of course, Denise tells it how she sees it – and that’s why so many people love her!
But the source reveals her honesty grated on Julia, 55.
“It was a personality clash from day one and the crew would feel really uncomfortable each week as they tried to out-do each other,” says the insider.
“Denise reportedly felt she could be a ‘big sister’ figure to Julia, who was just starting out in her entertainment career. However, Julia was determined to run her own race.”
The source alleges that their similar “big, over-the-top” comedic style made for a clash on air.
Denise has been quick to deny reports that she and Julia have been locked in a secret feud for decades, calling the rumours “total bull cr*p”.
“I really don’t know where it came from… Let’s just dwell on the positives… I admire her because she went overseas and did all these courses and I think she went and did improv and all those things.
She was really serious about her career and I admired that, it’s something I never did,” she added of her former co-star.
“I think she’s terrific. I think Robert [Irwin] with her on the show, they just blend and it’s fabulous.”
Either way, there will be no further scramble for TV producers, as it seems Denise’s short-lived stint on reality TV is now over for good!
“I don’t want to do Survivor, I don’t want to be like Bear Grylls, I don’t want to be dropped in the middle of the ocean and have to swim to the shore. I don’t want to do anything now,” says the star. “I’ve got a lovely life, beautiful kids, grandchildren and a dog and a cat that loves me.”
