Olivia Attwood was rushed to A&E because she was dangerously anaemic

2022-11-13

EXCLUSIVE ‘I was so scared… what WAS wrong with me?’ I’m A Celeb star Olivia Attwood reveals her terror at being rushed to A&E when blood tests showed she was dangerously anaemic – and her anguish as producers kicked her out of the jungle

Olivia Attwood, 31, has revealed the reason behind her exit from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
One minute she was seen jumping out a helicopter, the next she was rushed to A&E by doctors and ITV staff
Various theories were presented such as her ADHD, breaking the Covid bubble and even if she was pregnant
Speaking to The Mail On Sunday, Olivia said a routine blood test showed that she was dangerously anaemic
Also flagged worryingly low sodium and potassium levels, prompting ITV staff to immediately take her to A&E
The test results all came as a complete shock to the TV star, who said that she was feeling ‘absolutely fine’

The jungle life might not be for everyone, but almost a week on from her sudden, unexplained exit from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Olivia Attwood is still distraught.

She should be sparring with Matt Hancock, or even, maybe, jostling for pole position on the ITV show she had dreamed of appearing on for five years.

Instead, she is at her Manchester home, being comforted by her beloved rescue dogs, Lola and Stitch, after she was sent home from the Australian set, prompting a nationwide guessing game.

One minute she was seen by more than eight million viewers jumping out of a helicopter and cooking a stir fry with campmate Charlene White, the next she was rushed to A&E by deeply concerned doctors and ITV staff, never to be seen on screen again.

There were various theories doing the rounds. One was that Olivia’s ADHD attention disorder wasn’t conducive to outback living. She’s always been very open about the condition, which was diagnosed in her 20s when she was suffering from acute anxiety and depression.

Another was that she couldn’t be allowed back into the jungle as the hospital visit had meant she’d broken a Covid bubble, and risked infecting her campmates. Then there were misogynistic accusations that she was simply too weak and diva-like to hack it. Some were even convinced she was pregnant.

But today, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Olivia reveals the real reason she had to leave after Monday’s broadcast – and it’s nothing as dramatic as the conspiracy theorists have cooked up, although heartbreaking nonetheless.

She says a routine blood test, which all the jungle campmates undergo randomly throughout the show, suddenly and inexplicably disclosed she was dangerously anaemic. It also flagged up worryingly low sodium and potassium levels, which prompted ITV staff to immediately take her to A&E.

All of which came as a complete shock to Olivia, 31, who was, she stresses, feeling ‘absolutely fine’.

Olivia Attwood (pictured) has exclusively revealed to The Mail on Sunday the reasons behind her shock, unexplained exit from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here

Olivia, 31, was rushed to A&E by deeply concerned doctors and ITV staff, never to be seen on screen again. Pictured: Olivia doing her bushtucker challenge on the show

One minute Olivia was seen jumping out a helicopter (pictured), the next she was rushed to A&E after a routine blood test showed that the TV star was dangerously anaemic

When Olivia was finally able to use her phone, she called her fiance, Brad Dack, a midfielder for Blackburn Rovers and her parents. Pictured: Olivia with her fiance Brad

Olivia’s fate was sealed when an ITV producer and executive gave her the news she dreaded. Iron deficiency anaemia can make someone more at risk of illness or infection, while low mineral levels may indicate underlying health problems

‘I was so scared, I was like “what the hell is wrong with me?”,’ she says in her first interview since her exit. ‘They couldn’t give me an answer, they just told me that they had to get me to the hospital immediately.

‘The results were really, really low when they put them into their reader and they consulted with another doctor off site. I had those bloods done in England before I left, and they were fine. I was confused and of course very, very worried.’

ITV staff then took Olivia, a model who first found fame on ITV2’s Love Island, to the hospital, 40 minutes from the camp on what was last Tuesday evening in Australia.

‘It felt like the longest journey ever,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know what to think. I was wondering if I had picked up a virus, was I pregnant, all of these things were going through my head. It was absolutely frightening.’

Then, the tests were repeated in the hospital – and came back normal. Naturally, she assumed the first tests had been faulty and that she’d simply be allowed to return to the jungle and the campmates she was keen to get to know better. ‘But instead I was taken to a hotel to get some sleep while ITV decided what they would do with me,’ she says.

Olivia didn’t think for a minute that she wouldn’t be allowed to go back, but remembers lying in bed, worried and confused as to what was going on. She had a restless night with her fate in ITV’s hands, with bosses locked in meetings as to whether they would let her back in or not. ‘I tried to keep a hold of my emotions but it started to feel like I wasn’t going back, you know when you just get a feeling? It started to dawn on me that I was out for good,’ she admits.

‘But then I was trying to rationalise it, there was nothing wrong with me so why wouldn’t I be able to? I also knew how much the production team wanted me on the show. None of it was making sense. I was waiting for someone to tell me.’

Speaking for the first time since her exit, Olivia said: ‘I was so scared, I was like “what the hell is wrong with me?”,’ she says in her first interview since her exit. ‘They couldn’t give me an answer, they just told me that they had to get me to the hospital immediately.’

Olivia revealed that she was ‘devastated’ and ‘heartbroken’. Leaving felt like a ‘punch to the gut’ after the show’s staff told her she was favourite to win because everyone liked her.

Also in question is whether Olivia will receive her full fee for the show, reportedly between £100,000 to £125,000. ‘We haven’t discussed that yet,’ she says.

Olivia’s fate was sealed when there was a knock on the door of her hotel room and an ITV producer and executive entered to deliver the news that her dream of winning the jungle crown was over.

Iron deficiency anaemia can make someone more at risk of illness or infection, while low mineral levels may indicate underlying health problems. The broadcaster just wasn’t prepared to risk it.

‘They said because of the results the show’s medical team got from my readings, they were not happy to sign me off to come back in, even though I had the clean bill of health from the hospital,’ she says. ‘If I went back into camp, they feared my levels might drop and it could be detrimental to my health and wellbeing. They were not willing to authorise my return and therefore I wasn’t insured.

‘I was absolutely devastated. I’m not a crier but I started to cry, it was so emotional. I was heartbroken and gutted. I tried to keep my emotions in check and keep it in perspective, things could be so much worse.

‘Then the show’s staff told me everyone liked me and I was favourite to win, so that leaving felt like a punch to the gut.

‘Just two days before, I jumped out of a helicopter which I loved. I did a trial which I loved. I was so happy and elated. It was an extreme high to an extreme low. I felt empty.’

Also in question is whether Olivia will receive her full fee for the show, reportedly between £100,000 to £125,000. ‘We haven’t discussed that yet,’ she says.

Since coming third on the 2017 series of Love Island with her ex-boyfriend Chris Hughes, Olivia has become one of ITV’s most important stars as the broadcaster strives to attract young audiences.

ITV quickly signed the pair up for their own reality show, but after they split, Olivia went off on her own and now makes documentaries such as Getting Filthy Rich, which investigates the phenomenon of the OnlyFans website, which allows users to charge for adult content.

But nothing could help bosses overcome the red tape to keep her in the jungle.

‘It was unfixable, because of how my blood tested I wouldn’t have been insured,’ says Olivia. ‘It felt so unfair. This had been five years in the making. I just needed to get home.’

Following the decision, Olivia was chaperoned to the airport by a member of ITV staff, with her exit still shrouded in secrecy from the outside world. While she appreciates ‘there are bigger problems in the world’, she said her journey home was deeply depressing:

Since coming third on the 2017 series of Love Island with her ex-boyfriend Chris Hughes, Olivia has become one of ITV’s most important stars as the broadcaster strives to attract young audiences. Pictured: The ex-couple at the National Television Awards in 2018

Back at home, she was elated to see Brad, who was ‘really gutted’ for her, and her dogs. She says she is currently doing very little apart from getting her sleep back onto UK time. Pictured: Olivia and Brad together

Olivia was made aware, however, of how the I’m A Celeb audience was speculating about her exit, much of which, she says, felt misogynistic

‘I just stared at the ceiling of the aeroplane for hours, it was very sad.’ By the time she was in the air, the rumour mill had gone into overdrive, with fans desperate to know why she left the show. Because of the intense interest she was whisked through Heathrow Airport’s Windsor Suite – the elite lounge usually reserved for royalty and A-listers.

One of her first chores on landing was to have more blood tests, which once again came back fine.

Finally able to use her phone, she called her fiancé, Bradley Dack, a midfielder for Blackburn Rovers and her parents. But she took the decision to delete her social media apps in an attempt to not upset herself further.

She admitted: ‘When I first got my phone back I saw clips of me on the show that showed my little happy face. It made me feel really sad – I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want to see my entrance interview, it was a reminder of how exciting everything was just before it was taken away.’

Olivia was made aware, however, of how the I’m A Celeb audience was speculating about her exit, much of which, she says, felt misogynistic. ‘I mean, I saw on Twitter that I was pregnant. I’m not,’ she says. ‘There is an underlying misogynistic feel to the rhetoric. They’re saying, ‘I bet she fainted’ or ‘I bet she was scared of sleeping outside’ or that ‘she didn’t fancy it because it was raining’.

‘The reason it was so frustrating is because I am the complete opposite of that – and to make it more irritating, people could see on the show that I was absolutely loving it. There was nothing I would have said no to in the jungle. I loved it from the first hour and I was embracing every moment of it. I’m a nature geek, so I loved seeing all the bugs, and I even saw a kangaroo.’

Any suggestion that her ADHD had forced her to quit was particularly hurtful, she says. If anything, being outside in the rainforest, away from artificial stimuli like caffeine and social media, would have suited her condition.

‘That simplicity is great for ADHD,’ she stresses. As for the Covid bubble theory: ‘If that was the case, they would have just left it a few days and tested me.’

Despite being forced to leave the camp early, Olivia has some happy memories and tells The Mail on Sunday that she made some good friends. On arrival, she dined with former Radio One DJ Chris Moyles before spending a night on an island with him, Boy George and television presenter Scarlette Douglas (L-R)

After being told she had to return home, Olivia was chaperoned to the airport by a member of ITV staff, with her exit still shrouded in secrecy from the outside world. While she appreciates ‘there are bigger problems in the world’, she said her journey home was deeply depressing

Olivia had no idea the former Health Secretary Matt Hancock was going to appear on the programme until she turned her phone back on at Brisbane Airport on her way home

Olivia, pictured with the original I’m A Celeb team, believes that Chris Moyles, Babatunde Aleshe, and Charlene White are the favourites to win

Olivia cheers up when she reminisces about her short stint in the jungle. She has some happy memories – albeit a lot fewer than she’d hoped – and made some good friends. After being voted to get VIP treatment when she first arrived, she dined with former Radio One DJ Chris Moyles before spending a night on an island with him, Boy George and television presenter Scarlette Douglas.

‘It was so much fun,’ she says. I was in my element and I really threw myself into jungle life. Boy George was great but then when I went to the main camp I made more friends, I had a really lovely chat with [retired Lioness] Jill Scott about football because I date a player, I did the washing up with Babatunde [Aleshe, the comedian].

‘I also helped Charlene cook – though what you didn’t see on the show was that I managed to drop the food into the fire. I’m sure if I had been there another night she would have told me not to.’

Back at home, she was elated to see Brad, who was ‘really gutted’ for her, and her dogs. She says she is currently doing very little apart from getting her sleep back onto UK time. She struggles to watch I’m A Celebrity but did tune in to see Matt Hancock controversially enter the jungle, along with comedian Seann Walsh.

She had no idea the former Health Secretary was going to appear on the programme until she turned her phone back on at Brisbane Airport on her way home. Unlike many, she was impressed by his participation and would have been excited to meet him for ‘some bantz’.

Olivia says: ‘People weren’t expecting him to deal with it with humour, which is what he has done. I would have approached it with humour too. Not that any of what he did was funny but banter would have been the least he deserves, I would have enjoyed that.

‘Despite his obvious flaws he can laugh at himself which is always a redeeming quality. That said, he should have to answer questions.

‘It’s funny to see him slimed and gunked but it isn’t funny if you didn’t get to hold someone’s hand when they died while he was snogging someone in his office. NHS workers are protesting to get paid enough money to survive and he is out earning money in the jungle. That doesn’t seem right, does it?’

So who does Olivia think will be crowned king or queen of the jungle? ‘I have a feeling Chris Moyles has a chance, he is very, very funny. Or Babatunde. I like Charlene a lot as well. There isn’t an obvious frontrunner right now but I’m going for one of those three.’

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