Tom Read Wilson shares real reason why he signed up for ITV I'm A Celebrity after late arrival bombshell

Mr Read Wilson is no stranger to the world of reality TV, having shot to fame in Channel 4's Celebs Go Dating, and has appeared on a wide range of celebrity editions of some of the nation's best-loved shows, such as Mastermind, The Wheel, Tipping Point, House of Games, and many more.

However, I'm A Celebrity promises to be a task like none other before for the 39-year-old, and although he's admittedly "terrified", Mr Read Wilson has revealed it's his fear that actually prompted him to say yes to the opportunity.

"My first thought when they approached me about taking part was abject terror," he explained. "But I have got a very strict rule in life.

"If the only reason that you don’t want to do it is fear, you must do it, whatever it is.

"I’m fearful as a porcupine and I am very nervous that my grey cells won’t dance properly in camp, too.

"At home, I do a cryptic crossword every day, I always have a book on the go and I am a bit worried that my frontal lobes will drop off if I don’t have a lubricant for it. I can be vague at times and I don’t want to scatter brain cells over the camp!"

His approach to overcoming challenges, no matter how anxiety-inducing, has also shaped Mr Read Wilson's motto in life. "My mantra is you must do it in spite of," he added.

"It’s the unknown and things that I haven’t been nose to nose with that terrify me.

"It augments in your mind’s eye if you haven’t had an experience of something. In the case of a rodent, that augments hugely in a mind’s eye as I have never been nose-to-nose with one."

When it comes to what he expects from life in the jungle, Mr Read Wilson isn't going in naive to its obstacles.

"Socialising is the aspect I am most excited about," he explained. "My favourite thing about being alive is meeting people.

"And I am sure I am going to learn new things about myself because of the degree of socialisation. I live alone and it will be very different for me in a myriad way.

"Yes, historically my background is the theatre and I spend bags of time with them (actors), but I have never done it around the clock."

And the food? “I feel as though you might want any protein when you are that hungry. If all you have been eating is rice and somebody presented any protein, even if it were testicles, I think you would digest it rapaciously.”

Mr Read Wilson will be joining a series that has already had more than its fair share of talking points just a few days after its premiere on Sunday night.

Jack Osbourne left fans emotional as he confided in his campmate, Lisa Riley, about the death of his father and rock music legend, Ozzy Osbourne.

Elsewhere, Alex Scott has addressed the possibility of tying the knot with her partner Jess Glynne, while Kelly Brook's ancient feud with Ant and Dec has resurfaced among viewers.

However, the emotional scenes and candid revelations haven't sat well with all of the show's fandom, with some complaining about the flow of tears just a few days in.