With his track record of dating much younger women, it seems as though the decision of ITV bosses to put Nick Knowles in the jungle with actress Emily Atack was no accident
It’s now been claimed that producers are hoping for a full-blown romance between the two to increase viewing figures, and the palpable spark between them indicates things may be going in the right direction.
Emily, 29, who played Charlotte ‘Big Jugs’ Hinchcliffe in The Inbetweeners, has already struck up a close friendship with 56-year-old DIY SOS host Nick, whose previous lovers have included 34-year-old Emmerdale actress Gemma Oaten and glamour model Pascal Craymer, 31.
The couple have enjoyed plenty of flirty moments so far – most recently, fans praised Nick for his ‘gentlemanly behaviour’ using his hat to swipe bugs of Emily’s back.
CHECK OUT the WORST I'm a celeb Bushtucker trials EVER
I'm A Celebrity 2014: The WORST Bushtucker Trials EVER!
1 of 8Dean Gaffney (2006)
Ex-EastEnder Dean Gaffney showed off his impressive ability to yelp like an injured animal in his 2006 trial. To be fair to the man, he did have cockroaches poured on his head, put his hands in a box of biting ants and retrieve a star from a pool of baby crocodiles.
2 of 8Gino D’Acampo (2009)
"I think I've got to eat some kind of weird stuff," commented Gino when he was told he was going to do a Bushtucker Bonanza. Yep, we guess that a fermented egg, a rhino beetle, cockroach, wittchedy grub, mealworms, beach worms and crocodile tongue might be considered 'weird'.
3 of 8Jennie Bond (2004)
Alone, wet, cold and covered with rats. Not a situation we'd like to get in any time soon, but former Royal correspondent Jennie Bond managed to last a whole 10 minutes locked in a water and rat filled coffin by humming an upbeat tune. We salute you, Ms. Bond.
4 of 8Joey Essex (2013)
Locked in a cold, dark, slimy tomb, we'd be freaking out if we were Joey in his 2013 task. But the TOWIE star powered through and managed to find all twelve hidden stars without uttering a single scream, only stopping to moan 'This is definitely, 100% not reem,' and to comment that the rodents were biting his 'middle parts'.
5 of 8Mark Wright and Freddie Starr (2011)
TOWIE's Mark and hamster-eating comedian Freddie were an oddly matched pair for the 'Greasy Spoon Café' culinary battle, but the resulting Bushtucker trial has to be one of our faves. The couple was challenged to dine on a spoiled egg, blended cockroaches, mealworms and mouse tails, turkey testicles, a camel's toe and a pigs anus.
6 of 8Martina Navratilova (2008)
Tennis pro Martina impressed us all when she shared a plastic bubble helmet with a variety of jungle critters, including grasshoppers, cockroaches, stick insects, spiders and snakes. While we shuddered and hid behind our hands, Martina took it like a champ.
7 of 8Matt Willis (2006)
Poor Matt Willis proved he's no wimp when he munched his way to victory in his Bushtucker Bonanza challenge of 2006. The McBusted star dined out on live mealworms, witchetty grubs, a kangaroo anus and a crocodile penis. Mr Willis managed the whole lot without a single retch, commenting after 'I've got kangaroo anus in my teeth. It's a really good look.'
8 of 8Kim Woodburn (2009)
Kim was submerged in a tank under water, while thousands of cockroaches and other critters were poured on her. As much as we did feel for clean freak Kim, her screeches of "Something's nipping my bosoms" and "It's bitten my bum!" made this trial a timeless classic.
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“They’ve had a couple of moments on screen that producers thought was a good sign,” a source told The Sun.
“They’re seeing how things develop. Nick has a type and Emily fits the bill. And she hasn’t minded a famous boyfriend in the past. Everyone is watching closely and hoping for a proper spark.”
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Having shot to fame in 2008 on the cult Channel 4 sitcome, Emily has gone on to date pop stars Harry Styles and Dougie Poynter, and appeared in her fair share of reality TV shows before being approached to take part in I’m a Celeb 2018.
Conversely, Nick reportedly once told ex-girlfriend Pascal Craymer, who appeared on TOWIE, that he “hated reality TV”, amid a string of unsavory allegations made by her during their whirlwind romance at the end of last year.
However, he’s already cemented himself as a fan favourite in the camp, with fans gushing over how well he’s coming across – not the mentionthatsexy shower scene.