Just hours before being quite literally dropped into the South African jungle for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Candice Warner is lapping up her last moments of luxury.
“I’m pretty scared,” she tells Woman’s Day. “I mean, I’m petrified of everything. Even when we go to the school fete and there might be a little petting zoo, I don’t go anywhere near the animals. I’m not one for trying new food. I’m terrible with heights. I’ve never been camping!”
OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE
Sitting inside her $4 million mansion that she shares with her husband, cricket legend David, with its elevator, infinity pool, underground bar and minigolf course, it’s easy to understand why Candice, 39, might be concerned about losing her creature comforts to canvas beds, rice and beans, and lots and lots of bugs.
But it’s a sacrifice that, she says, will pay off when her three girls, Ivy Mae, nine, Indi Rae, eight, and Isla Rose, four, tune in to see their mum battle it out in the jungle.
“It’s about me stepping out of my comfort zone, but also showing my daughters that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything and you can overcome anything,” she says.
“Knowing that my kids are going to be back home watching me every night… I’m essentially doing it for my family.”
SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND
“David was like, ‘You’re kidding me,’” Candice says of the moment she told her husband that she was heading into the jungle.
“Only because he knows what I’m like. There have been times where we were in line for a rollercoaster or something, and I’ve basically left him at the altar – I ran off and left him to ride alone,” she laughs.
“So he definitely had a giggle. But when he knew how serious I was about it and the alignment with my charity, he was all for it. David never stops me from doing anything. He’s always very supportive
and encouraging.”
BARING YOUR SOUL
On top of all the snakes and spiders and being dropped into a vat of scorpions, one of the more challenging aspects of the show, one would assume, would be baring your soul to the entire country during some downtime in the camp.
However, for Candice, this won’t be so much of a concern. “I’m an open book, and I’ve always been very open and honest and upfront about challenges in my life. And I feel through my story and with how open I am, I hope that people feel like they can open up to me without judgement,” she says. “I’m actually really looking forward to those conversations with everyone else in the camp.”
And for a woman who has had a series of highly publicised feuds in the past – she most recently was embroiled in a war of words with former cricketer Mitchell Johnson after he slammed her husband, and she fell out with Roxy Jacenko on set of SAS Australia – she’s ready for any mystery celebs who are dropped into the jungle to “settle the score”.
“There are probably a lot of people I wouldn’t want to run into,” she chuckles. “But I’m also the type of person who confronts things head-on. So people who I may have had disagreements with in the past, I would probably be the first one to reach out and say, “Listen, why did you do this?” and just get to the bottom of why there was a bit of bad blood.”
MOTHERLY ROLE
And just as easy as it will be for her to make up, Candice acknowledges there are a few habits in the camp that will just as easily break her. “People who are rude and untidy, I’m just going to be like, ‘Come on, mate!’” she says.
“I am a little bit on the OCD side, so I think if someone is just so untidy that it’s affecting the people around them, that’ll irk me. But I found on SAS that I played that motherly role. I think having three kids, it’s hard not to play that role. So I’m always going to be around to help.
Just don’t ask her to cook.
“Oh, I’m not great at cooking. My last meal is probably going to be toast!”
