| Red Moon |
13-11-2008 08:12 AM |
Rumble in the jungle: I\'m A Celebrity stars are already at war (over their pay deals)
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Rumble in the jungle: I'm A Celebrity stars are already at war (over their pay deals) hey are yet to set foot in the jungle, but already the contestants on I'm A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here are at each other's throats.
Pay disputes have caused jealousy to boil over, to the delight of ITV bosses who are desperate for the show to be a ratings winner.
Former glamour model Nicola McLean, 24, is said to have reacted furiously when she discovered her £7,500 wage was five times less than the £40,000 that 34-year-old rival Dani Behr had managed to secure.
Miss Behr is seen at this year's answer to Myleene Klass, who pulled in viewers during the many hours she lingered under the shower on the jungle set.
WAG Carly Zucker - the fiance of Chelsea footballer Joe Cole - who is earning £10,000, reportedly sided with Miss McLean and was persuaded to stay only when producers told her the exposure could help her land lucrative magazine deals.
Former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova, 52, has also ruffled feathers after it emerged she had secured £30,000, while 68-year-old TV campaigner Esther Rantzen's £25,000 fee is another bone of contention.
ith ITV's advertising revenues plummeting, contestants are earning less than half the sums paid in previous series - but they face gruelling 'bushtucker' trials, less food and harsher conditions in the North Australian jungle.
Robert Kilroy-Silk, 66, will bank £15,000. He and 50-year-old Brian Paddick - who ran in this year's Mayor of London election - have been warned they are not to use the show as a soapbox for their political careers.
Unhindered by any similar ambitions, Miss Navratilova has said she wants to air her annoyance at U.S. government legislation on gay marriages.
An insider said: 'Producers are holding out hope that Martina will be one of the most controversial and vocal figures on the show.'
George Takei, 71, who played Mr Sulu in the original Star Trek series, is on only £20,000.
But Mr Takei, who earned millions from his sci-fi role, had less material concerns on arriving at Brisbane airport on Thursday morning.
Upon arrival he was supposed to be met by a security team.
But he sauntered through the Arrivals hall unnoticed – and then spent 30 minutes wandering around the airport looking for help.
The ageing actor – who admitted that he has never seen the show – fumed: 'I’ve no idea what I’m getting into, but now it seems it is a complete shambles.
'I’ve been left wandering the airport for 30 minutes on my own.
'They didn’t give me any phone numbers or contacts, but I was assured there would be someone to meet me here. I can’t believe I’ve been treated like this.
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Source: Daily Mail |
