Why Craig Charles pulled out of I'm A Celebrity the first time round as he returns for the South Africa series
Craig is hoping for a better experience second time aroundCraig Charles entered the jungle for a second time last week (April 7) after signing up for this year’s I’m A Celebrity South Africa – but who is he?
Latecomer Craig is one of 12 famous faces, including Harry Redknapp and Scarlett Moffatt, spending three weeks in South Africa’s Kruger National Park as the brand-new series continues.
The actor’s first run at the ITV show was cut short due to a family tragedy, so he is hoping for a more positive run this time.
But what happened the first time around?
Here’s everything you need to know about Craig as he gives I’m A Celebrity a second shot.
Who is I’m A Celebrity star Craig Charles? How old is he?
Craig Charles was born July 11, 1964, which makes him 61 years old. A man of many talents, Craig is an actor, comedian and DJ.
He is probably best known for playing Lloyd Charles on Coronation Street from 2005 to 2015. He also appeared on science fiction sitcom, Red Dwarf, as Dave Lister.
Other TV credits include EastEnders and presenting Robot Wars from 1998 to 2004, as well as narrating popular Japanese game show,Takeshi’s Castle.
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As a DJ, Craig has presented The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on BBC Radio 6 Music since 2002.
Why did Craig Charles leave Coronation Street?
Craig left Coronation Street in 2015 after 10 years of playing cabbie Lloyd Mullaney. During his stint on the soap he played a part in some big storylines, from the discovery of a secret daughter to his many failed romances.
As for why he decided to leave, it was so Craig could return to his role in Red Dwarf. He said at the time: “I feel I owe it to my colleagues on Red Dwarf to join them in filming the new series and finding out what is in store for Lister and the others. I would love to return to Coronation Street at some point in the future.”
Meanwhile, Coronation Street producer at the time, Stuart Blackburn said: “Craig has provided us with a decade packed with laughter, tears and great drama. We wish him all the best.”
A year later, Craig opened up again about leaving the soap, revealing his brother’s death made him re-evaluate his life.
“It’s really quite sad, actually, but my brother died last year. He was 52 – I’m 51. When he died I thought, ‘There’s things that I’ve got to do. I’ve got to do some things before it’s my time’,” Craig said on This Morning.
He added: “There’s so many things that, because Coronation Street is such a big part of your life, you don’t get to do.”
When was Craig Charles first in I’m A Celebrity?
Craig jetted out to Australia in 2014 to appear in the fourteenth series of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!. The series started on November 16 and Craig’s fellow campmates included Melanie Sykes, Edwina Currie and Kendra Wilkinson.
Some of this year’s I’m A Celebrity South Africa cohort were in there too. Jimmy Bullard and Gemma Collins were also in the 2014 series of IAC.
But unfortunately, Craig had to leave camp after just four days. He had received some devastating news about his brother, which prompted him to return home to the UK.
What happened to Craig’s brother?
While in the jungle, Craig’s brother Dean died from a heart attack. He was 50 years old.
Craig said an emotional goodbye to his campmates at the time. “I’m out of here, guys… my brother died yesterday. I’ve got to go sort things out,” he said. “I just wanted to say goodbye. Look after yourselves.”
In an interview with The Sunday Express after his jungle exit, Craig admitted he’d missed texts from his brother that he’d “blanked”.
“I’d kind of blanked him because I had too much going on. There was all sorts of stuff I had to get sorted before I went into the jungle. So I thought, ‘You know what, I’ll leave it until I come out, then I’ll get in contact with him then,” he said.
“Our Dean died at 52, that’s no age.”
Has Craig also had a heart attack?
Several years after Craig lost his brother to a heart attack, Craig was rushed to the hospital suffering from a heart attack as well.
“God must have smiled at me. They got me to the hospital in time,” he told MailOnline in 2020.
Craig added: “I was sweating, but I was also really cold, and my teeth were tingling. My wife Jackie was in Ireland visiting her family so I went to bed and phoned her. Jackie’s sister-in-law is a nurse and she said, ‘Get him to hospital – now!’ But I wouldn’t go on my own.”
Craig had micro-surgery that involved putting a tube up his wrist to insert stents. He explained: “They went through my wrist into my heart. Put a tube in, then a balloon, pumped it up then put four stents in.”
The operation is to try and prevent future heart attacks.
Who is Craig Charles’ Emmerdale star ex?
In 1984, Craig tied the knot with actress Cathy Tyson. Cathy has appeared Coronation Street as Andrea Hayworth, as well as Holby City and Death in Paradise.
However, after welcoming a son Jack, the pair divorced in 1989. And according to Cathy, their marriage was not a happy one.
She told The Mirror: “I just want to be happy. That’s the most important thing for me. And my marriage certainly didn’t make me feel happy. I used to blame Craig but I try not to anymore.
Craig added: “My divorce was the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. The divorce itself didn’t bring me down. I got divorced because I thought it was the only way forward.”
Who is Craig Charles married to?
Craig is loved-up with his wife Jackie. According to the actor, the pair first met in a Dublin bar when he was filming there.
He told The Guardian in 2015: “She was actually on a first date with another actor but we just got on like a house on fire, and within three weeks she had left her job and come to live with me, and that was 20 years ago.”
Craig and Jackie tied the knot in 1999 and share two children Anna-Jo and Nellie.
Meanwhile, Craig previously praised Jackie for supporting him through “one of the lowest points of his life”.
Speaking in 2017 on John Bishop In Conversation back in 2017, he emotionally spoke about his struggles with drugs and when he was pictured in 2006 taking drugs.
He said: “I was dead lucky that I had a wife, Jackie, who I adore and adores me. I had kids who know what I’m really like, and I had a reason to get better, if you know what I mean.”
‘RIP Mum’
Craig suffered fresh heartbreak in the run-up to the launch show, too. He announced the death of his mother-in-law – wife Jackie’s mum – on social media earlier this month.
Craig shared a snap of himself and Anna by the pool whilst on holiday for his 50.1k followers to see. “My mother-in-law Anna Fleming passed away at 8:43 Sunday night,” he captioned the post. “One of the most significant women in my entire life,” he continued in his emotional tribute. “One of the kindest, wisest, and intelligent people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. RIP MUM,” he then added.
What to expect from Craig Charles on I’m A Celebrity South Africa
Craig entered camp on April 7 as one of this year’s latecomers. And he got straight into it with a head-to-head eating challenge alongside Gemma Collins.
Selected to play for Main Camp, Craig had to devour dishes such as Fish Eye Pie, Terror-rine, Brain Freeze and Bloody Moory Shots to win a point for his team. “You want to be a Legend? You’ve got to go big or go home,” Ant told them.
And go big he did. When it came to the last part of the challenge – the shots – both Craig and Gemma said they’d down the lot, with the ex-Corrie star winning food for his camp.
Last night’s show (April 13) saw Craig take on two trials. He took part in a trial alongside Adam Thomas, trying to win campmates their luxury items from home. He won all but three – his own luxury item, Ashley’s and Mo’s were sadly lost. Then, he took part in the main Bushtucker Trial to win food for his camp.
Craig is currently battling it out as part of Jimmy Bullard’s Rhino tribe. But, as the show ended on a cliffhanger, we’ll have to wait till tonight to see if Craig has secured the scran!
Read more: I’m A Celebrity South Africa: ITV confirms huge schedule twist ahead of series
