I’m A Celebrity star Charlene White may not fare too well in the jungle given that she quit Girl Guides as a youngster because they “kept making me camp”.
Creepy crawlies, terrifying challenges and nights underneath the stars in the Australian camp await.
So how will Charlene cope swapping the safe confines of the Loose Women studio for the I’m A Celebrity jungle?
Time will tell…
Who is I’m A Celebrity star Charlene White?
Charlene White is a British television broadcaster, journalist and presenter.
She is best known for presenting the ITV News and for being a panelist on Loose Women.
How old is Charlene White?
Charlene was born on June 22, 1980 – this means she’s currently 42 years old.
The star was born in Greenwich, south-east London, to West Indian parents.
She attended Riverston School and Blackheath High School before going on to graduate from the London College of Printing.
In 2002, Charlene joined Newsbeat on Radio 1 and its sister digital station BBC Radio 1Xtra as a reporter.
In 2008, she moved over to ITV, joining the ITN news time as a presenter for the ITV News at 5.30.
On April 9 2014, Charlene made history as the first black woman to present ITV News at Ten.
Is Charlene White on Loose Women?
She is.
Charlene White officially joined the Loose Women line-up as a fully-fledged panellist and presenter in January 2021.
She started out as a guest panelist in 2020 and joined the team permanently the following year.
Charlene White on I’m A Celebrity
Speaking to The Sun when she landed in Australia, Charlene admitted that she isn’t really the “outdoorsy” type.
“I don’t really like creepy crawlies and I’m not really outdoorsy. I don’t camp. I stopped going to Girl Guides because they kept making me camp,” she said.
Charlene admitted that she will miss her “family, the kids, my other half, and of course my Loose Ladies” during her time on the show.
I don’t really like creepy crawlies and I’m not really outdoorsy. I don’t camp.
She added: “If I am not hanging out with them every week I am not quite sure what to do with my time to be honest.”
Charlene is hoping to “surprise people” during her time on the show.
She added: “One thing I have always been very honest about there are several facets to me – perhaps I’ll surprise people.”
Is Charlene White married? Who is Charlene White’s partner?
Charlene isn’t married but she is in a long-term relationship with partner Andy.
Not much is known about him, but he is thought to be an executive TV producer.
During the pandemic, Charlene revealed that two of her friends and her great-aunt had died of COVID-19.
However, no members of Andy’s white British family had been affected – illustrating the differing impact of the virus on racial groups.
Speaking about their relationship with podcast host Gabby Logan, Charlene revealed a little about the couple’s family dynamic.
Charlene, it seems, is a bit of a planner – and that’s something she admitted Andy is “used to”.
“It’s not something that developed in older age. It’s just how I’ve always been. He knows I like to plan things out,” she said.
Charlene then added that Andy just “gets it”.
“He’s very much used to that. He’s in the business. He gets it really,” she said, in a rare admission about her private life.
Where does Charlene White live?
The couple live in South London, with Charlene often showing off their home on her social media accounts.
In the pictures, fans have caught a glimpse of the couple’s open-plan kitchen and garden, as well as the master bedroom.
Is there a picture of Charlene White and her husband?
The ITV presenter keeps her relationship very much out of the spotlight.
As a result, there is no public picture of the pair together.
Does Charlene White have a family?
She does.
Charlene and Andy have two children together – a son and a daughter.
Son Alfie was born in August 2017, making him five.
Daughter Florence was born in October 2019, making her three.
Charlene does share pictures of her children to her Instagram account.
However, she hasn’t shared images of their faces.
In one upload she told her children: “Go make your mark, be bold, be fabulous, fly in your own lane, and know I’ll always have your back.”
View this post on Instagram
Poppy controversy
Charlene caused some uproar when she refused to wear a Remembrance Day poppy while presenting the news.
Responding to the Twitter backlash – which she said included “upsetting” racist and sexist abuse – Charlene explained her reasons.
She said: “I prefer to be neutral and impartial on screen so that one of those charities doesn’t feel less favoured than another.
“I support and am patron of a number of charities, and due to impartiality rules, I am not allowed to visually support them all whilst presenting news programmes.
“That includes things like a red ribbon for World Aids Day, or a purple band for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.”
Charlene also added that she does support the Poppy Appeal.
She said: “In my private life, it’s very different. I wear a poppy on Armistice Day – in fact, I wear one that my friend Jen’s mum knitted for me a few years ago.
“And I proudly have one of the ceramic poppies from the Tower Of London on my mantelpiece.”
Charlene’s mum died when she was 21
Bowel cancer is another cause that Charlene supports after losing her mum Dorette to the disease.
Dorette was 47 when she died, with Charlene previously revealing how her mum had tried to prepare her daughter, who was 16 when she was diagnosed, for life without her mum.
Charlene said that her mum told her she was sick while they were cooking one Sunday.
She said she never “hid the truth” from Charlene and her siblings – brother Joshua and sister Carina.
Charlene was 21 when her mum passed away – something Charlene is now “at peace” with.
Writing in the Daily Mail, she said: “Almost from the day she told us, she started teaching me how to cook the family meals.
“By the time Mum noticed the blood and went to the doctor, the cancer had really taken hold and it was too late.”
She also opened up about her last conversation with her mum, which took place two weeks before Dorette died.
“She said: ‘Dad deserves to have someone to spend his life with.’ So when he did remarry five years later, we didn’t react badly. After our conversation, she was barely lucid,” she said.
Charlene said the Macmillan nurses told them “your mum’s going” in April 2002.
She said they “all went in and kissed her goodbye and she died not long afterwards”.
How did Charlene White lose weight?
Charlene has opened up abut her fitness regime and how she has learnt to brush off negative comments about her weight.
The star has previously spoken about a letter she received from a viewer who said her size was “unacceptable”.
And Charlene admitted it left her feeling “disgusting” about her body.
She said that a year after starting at ITV, an email came through with “your weight” in the subject line.
It read: “You can’t fail to notice that you’re bigger than other news presenters. It’s something that you need to deal with. It’s unacceptable that you are the size you are.”
Charlene said she was “so upset” and led her to compare herself to others, which she admitted is “very unhealthy”.
She added: “I couldn’t help but look at myself and think, I’m disgusting.”
However, Charlene said with “age and confidence” she’s learned to “tolerate” such comments and has said they “don’t bother” her now.
Charlene recently revealed she restarted weight training in a bit to get stronger – something that will surely stand her in good stead during the Bushtucker Trials.
Speaking to Top Sante magazine, she said: “My weight has fluctuated since I was in my late teens, so training is not about me losing weight.
“It’s about me feeling strong, and I definitely now feel stronger. I love fitness and challenges. I love squatting a particular weight, then the following week trying to smash that barrier.
“As I lift heavier and heavier, I realise I’m getting stronger. My brain works very well in that way.”
Is Charlene White on Twitter?
She is.
You can follow her @CharleneWhite.
What is Charlene White’s net worth?
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Charlene is worth around £1 million.
Read more: I’m A Celebrity host Declan Donnelly makes family confession as he arrives in Australia
Are you backing Charlene White on I’m A Celebrity? Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us.