Shane Ritchie reveals he’s doing I’m A Celeb to pay off debt

The pandemic has hit him hard

shane ritchie I'm a celebrity

by Lucy Smith |
Updated on

EastEnders star Shane Ritchie has revealed that he is "so grateful" to be signed up for I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic has left him with months of no work.

Speaking out after his place among the camp members had been confirmed, 56-year-old Shane said, "We were going to fit it around my other work projects as I was going on tour, doing a TV series and panto but that all got cancelled in March."

CHECK OUT: EastEnders fans, you’ll LOVE these amazing throwback snaps from the stars of the soap

Gallery

EastEnders fans, youu2019ll LOVE these amazing throwback snaps from the stars of the soap

Jessie Wallace / Kat Moon's throwback photo1 of 13
CREDIT: [Jessie Wallace's Twitter](https://twitter.com/JessieWallaceUK)

Jessie Wallace / Kat Moon's throwback photo

JESSIE WALLACE - AKA KAT MOON

Jacqueline Jossa / Lauren Branning's throwback photo2 of 13
CREDIT: [Jacqueline Jossa's Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/jacjossa/)

Jacqueline Jossa / Lauren Branning's throwback photo

LAUREN BRANNING - AKA JACQUELINE JOSSA

Richard Blackwood / Vincent Hubbard's throwback3 of 13
CREDIT: [Richard Blackwood's Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/9_KLD5j922/?hl=en)

Richard Blackwood / Vincent Hubbard's throwback

RICHARD BLACKWOOD - VINCENT HUBBARD

James Bye / Martin Fowler's throwback4 of 13
CREDIT: [James Bye's Twitter](https://twitter.com/jimmybye)

James Bye / Martin Fowler's throwback

JAMES BYE - AKA MARTIN FOWLER

Shona McGarty / Whitney Dean's throwback5 of 13
CREDIT: [Shona McGarty's Twitter](https://twitter.com/shonabm)

Shona McGarty / Whitney Dean's throwback

SHONA MCGARTY - AKA WHITNEY DEAN

Matt Di Angelo / Dean Wicks's throwback6 of 13
CREDIT: [Matt Di Angelo's Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mattdiangelo/)

Matt Di Angelo / Dean Wicks's throwback

MATT DI ANGEO - DEAN WICKS

Jamie Borthwick / Jay Brown's throwback7 of 13
CREDIT: [Jamie Borthwick's Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/jamie_b10/)

Jamie Borthwick / Jay Brown's throwback

JAMIE BORTHWICK - AKA JAY BROWN

Maddy Hill / Nancy Carter's throwback8 of 13
CREDIT: [Maddy Hill's Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/maddyhill90/)

Maddy Hill / Nancy Carter's throwback

MADDY HILL - AKA NANCY CARTER

natalie Cassidy & Patsy Palmer / Sonia Fowler and Bianca Butcher's throwback9 of 13
CREDIT: [Natalie Cassidy's Twitter](https://twitter.com/Nat_Cassidy/media?lang=en-gb)

natalie Cassidy & Patsy Palmer / Sonia Fowler and Bianca Butcher's throwback

NATALIE CASSIDY & PATSY PALMER - SONIA FOWLER & BIANCA BUTCHER

Rita Simon & Samantha Womack / Roxy and Ronnie Mitchell's throwback10 of 13
CREDIT: [Rita Simons's Twitter](https://twitter.com/OfficialRita/media)

Rita Simon & Samantha Womack / Roxy and Ronnie Mitchell's throwback

RITA SIMONS & SAMANTHA WOMACK - AKA ROXY AND RONNIE MITCHELL

Harry Reid / Ben Mitchell's throwback11 of 13
CREDIT: [Harry Reid's Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/harryreidactor/)

Harry Reid / Ben Mitchell's throwback

HARRY REID - AKA BEN MITCHELL

Danniella Westbrook / Sam Mitchell's throwback12 of 13
CREDIT: [Danniella Westbrook's Twitter](https://twitter.com/westbrookdanni?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author)

Danniella Westbrook / Sam Mitchell's throwback

SAM MITCHELL - DANNIELLA WESTBROOK

Adam Woodyatt13 of 13
CREDIT: Shutterstock / Rex & Twitter / @ClaudiaMRedmond

Adam Woodyatt

IAN BEALE - ADAM WOODYATT

I'm a celeb 2020 line up
Stars of the 2020 I'm A Celeb camp will include Mo Farah and AJ Pritchard ©ITV Pictures

He explained that he'd originally been asked to join the show back in January when it was set to be filmed in Australia.

"My kids were old enough to travel to Australia and they wanted to meet Ant and Dec! We were all really excited," he said.

But, what with his jobs being cancelled, Shane, who plays Eastenders' Alfie Moon, said, "And now I am literally skint. You save money for a rainy day but you don’t expect the rainy day to last six months.

“Thankfully I’ve been able to borrow money from mates, my family and the bank and my wife is now very happy we can finally pay off the credit card!"

He added that he's excited for the time away with some adults outside of his household with wife Christie Goddard and children Mackenzie Blue, 14, Lolita Bell, 12, and Romani-Skye Angel Shelley, nine.

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Shane ritchie and son
Shane and his son Mackenzie Blue Roche ©Getty

Shane will be joining the likes of Victoria Derbyshire and Giovanna Fletcher in the jung-, err, sorry, Welsh castle this year.

In regards to the challenges he will face, Shane said, "Six hundred calories a day is like a slice of cake on a Sunday. But I have got to go straight back in the West End to play a drag queen in a dress and so I will look great!"

Ummm, great is certainly one word for it...

I'm A Celebrity 2020 is set to go ahead amid Welsh lockdown restrictions after Gwrych castle Tweeted that, "Filming CAN continue in Wales providing related activity cannot be undertaken from home, and there is full compliance with Welsh law. We cannot wait to see I’m A Celebrity on our screens!"

Neither can we. If you need us on Sunday at 9pm, you know where we'll be.

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