Lisa Riley was the eighth campmate to be eliminated from the I’m A Celebrity jungle and the Emmerdale actress has opened up on losing nearly 1.5 stone during her experience
Lisa Riley has revealed that she lost nearly a stone and a half during her time on I’m A Celebrity. The 49-year-old Emmerdale actress was the eighth contestant to leave the show on Friday evening, following a double eviction alongside Jack Osbourne.
Lisa looked radiant in photos taken after her departure from the Australian jungle camp. She explained that it wasn’t just the diet of rice and beans that led to her weight loss, but also the controlled portion sizes and active daily routine.
She said: “Do you know what it is? It’s portion control. Everyone says, ‘Oh, it’s beans and rice.’ Yes, it is beans and rice, but it’s actually what you consume. When you’re in there, people don’t have an idea of the lifestyle, the geography of the camp. It’s the do-ability, the activeness.
“Like, when you go up to the [Bush] Telegraph to talk, it’s step after step. When you go to a challenge, you never stop moving,” she told The Daily Mail. “It’s endless. It’s not just sat around a campfire having loads of giggles. The activeness… by the time you’ve consumed the beans at night, you’ve probably burned it off.”
While Lisa confirmed she never felt truly starved, she added: “I’ve never ever been in Ethiopia; I was not starving. Yes, there were times I was really hungry, but by the time you’ve come back from the challenge, then the food basket’s coming down, and everything starts to cook.”
“For me, because I’m vegetarian, my veggie meal was always padded out with more rice. Anyway, do I fancy seeing rice again? No thanks. Rice and I are done.”
Whilst her fellow campmates tucked into crocodile or eel, Lisa was given a Quorn alternative. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
She said: “I’m so fortunate. I had things like Quorn chicken strips, Quorn mince, tempeh, never again, and tofu. At the start, when I was cooking, I used to boil it. Now I realise you’ve got to pan-fry it. So when Martin took over my tofu preparation, it was scrumptious. When I was doing it, it was rubbish”.
In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Lisa reflected on her time on the programme, describing it as “everything I wanted it to be and so much more.”
She not only enjoyed the experience more than Strictly, but Lisa also lost 20lbs during her stay in camp, attributing this to “portion control” and physical activity.
“When you’re in there, people don’t have an idea of the lifestyle, the geography of the camp. It’s the do-ability, the activeness,” she explains. “Like, when you go up to the Telegraph to talk, it’s step after step. When you go to a challenge, you never stop moving. It’s endless. It’s not just sat around a campfire having loads of giggles.”
She also discussed her revelation in camp that she found Ant McPartlin “juicy”, reports the Mirror.
Lisa chuckled: “Any red-blooded woman would say Ant is juicy, and he looks really well. But I’m in a very, very, very happy relationship, I could not be happier. But you know, as I always say, you can go to Waitrose, you don’t have to buy anything.”
When questioned whether there were any awkward moments upon seeing Ant in camp, she responded: “I wouldn’t say blushes. Listen, I’m a flirt. I flirt with everybody. That’s who I am. I’m not going to stop. I’m a flirt, and I’m so secure in my relationship I can flirt with everybody, but I know who I go home to every night and who loves me and who I love.”
That individual is her long-term fiancé Al, with whom she has shared the past 12 years. “We know where our bread’s buttered with each other,” she continues.
“Al knows fully well what he’s got in me. I’m not shy. I’m very forward-coming. I love a laugh, and I’m a flirt, why not?”
