The stars of I'm A Celebrity were teetering on the edge of evacuation as torrential rains inundated their camp, prompting show executives to hastily devise an emergency protocol to usher the celebrities to the safety of the Bush Telegraph amid the chaotic weather.
Reports have emerged that parts of the set suffered damage and vital access routes were swamped by the floodwaters, causing a delay in last night's trial by an hour.
TV favourites Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly shared their challenging trek to the campsite on social media throughout the soggy weekend, with pathways submerged under the relentless downpour. Ant, aged 49, commented: "We all got texts this morning saying the rain is so bad you might not even make it in today."
Dec added his perspective on the day's struggles, noting the camp's reduced staffing due to the severe weather, remarking: "It was an effort to get the show on air today. There were only a few people here."
Concerns ran high among the crew about the ferocious storm, which dumped a staggering 114.5mm of rainfall within just 24 hours, raising fears for the satellite and transmission systems' integrity, reports Plymouth Live.
A source close to The Sun disclosed: "All the campmates are fine, but producers monitored them on Saturday night as the storm worsened. The crew were struggling to make it on site. At one point there was genuine concern about how much they would be able to film. Fortunately, it calmed down a bit and all was OK."
An ITV representative confirmed the network's readiness for such events, stating: "We have contingency plans in place to cover all weather eventualities, the health and safety of our celebrities is an absolute priority."
Unpacked's Joel Dommett admitted that he, along with fellow celebs like Sam Thompson and Kemi Rodgers, had been briefed on severe weather warnings that might affect their ability to reach the sets.
TV duo Ant and Dec offered an inside look at how inclement weather forced programme changes, noting that a scheduled trial was postponed due to the conditions, which altered the format of the day's proceedings: "[The trial] has been delayed because of the weather. So we will be here for a lot longer today."
Dec added context to the situation, saying: "We just have to make sure that the trial that was scheduled is doable in the area that it was. Everything is a little up in the air here."
Expounding on the behind-the-scenes challenges, Joel commented: "People don't understand that this show is more than what you see on tele. There is an entire infrastructure of stuff."
Ant revealed the havoc wreaked by the storm, lamenting the destruction of on-set facilities: "Things have blown down in the night. There's a tent out the back there where friends and family come and guests on the ITV2 show stay before they go on. And that's all blown away. That's all gone. It's been pretty tough."
