Why did Olivia Attwood leave I’m a Celebrity?

‘She’ll be very much missed on the show,’ ITV said

Olivia Attwood has quit I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! just one day into the new series.

It’s been revealed that the TV personality was forced to withdraw from the reality show due to a medical matter.

ITV confirmed the news to The Independent, stating that the former Love Island star left the series “as a precautionary measure” in order to “undergo some medical checks”.

A spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, the medical team has advised it is not safe for Olivia to return to camp as there needs to be further investigation. She has been absolutely brilliant and she’ll be very much missed on the show.”

The team running Attwood’s Instagram page wrote on Monday (7 November) night that the public would soon learn the reason for her exit.

“To say Olivia is heartbroken would be an understatement, she dreamed of doing I’m A Celeb for years, and was absolutely loving every second of the show and throwing herself into jungle life feet first (just as we knew she would),” they wrote.

“However, for reasons beyond her control her journey has been cut short. Your support and kind words have meant the absolute world to her, now as much as it always has. You will hear the truth from Olivia in due course.”

Attwood’s team posted a statement on Instagram (Olivia Attwood/Instagram)

It is unknown if an additional celebrity will join the series to replace Attwood.

Conservative MP Matt Hancock and comedian Sean Walsh are due to join the show later this week.

Attwood was shown to be entering the Australian jungle in the launch show, which aired on Sunday (6 November).

She was voted jungle VIP alongside radio DJ Chris Moyles after parachuting out of a helicopter.

Attwood was the first ever ex-Love Island contestant to appear on the series, which has returned to Australia for the first time since 2019.

Olivia Attwood has quit ‘I’m a Celebrity’ (ITV)

For two years, the show was forced to take place in Wales due to the pandemic.

Hancock’s forthcoming involvement in the show has been condemned by viewers, as well as by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He is believed to have been paid £350,000 by producers.

On Monday (7 November), Good Morning Britain revealed that Hancock has already broken an I’m a Celebrity rule by being permitted to use his phone while in quarantine ahead of his entrance, a decision that was chided by host Susanna Reid.

Meanwhile, a man who was once handcuffed to a wall by Boy George, an act that saw the Culture Club singer jailed, has criticised ITV for inviting the singer onto the show.

However, a rep for the channel said: “This is a historic, spent conviction dating back 12 years and Boy George has appeared on major TV networks globally on numerous occasions over the last decade, including as a coach for The Voice UK on the BBC and The Voice Australia.”

The launch episode was watched by a peak of 10 million households.

Read The Independent’s two-star review of the return of I’m a Celebrity here, and live updates form the launch episode here.