This year’s ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ could be at risk after Wales was struck with new coronavirus lockdown rules.
The ITV show has relocated from Australia to Gwrych Castle, at Abergele, Conwy, in North Wales, for the upcoming series due to the pandemic, but new restrictions are set to come into place in Conwy from Thursday (01.10.20) at 6pm to try to help stop the spread of coronavirus in the area and three others nearby, Wrexham, Flintshire, and Denbighshire.
They state: "People will not be allowed to enter or leave the county area without a reasonable excuse.
"People will no longer be able to form, or be in, an extended household (sometimes called a "bubble").
"This means meeting indoors with anyone who is not part of your household (people you live with) is not allowed at the moment, unless you have a good reason, such as providing care to a vulnerable person."
According to The Sun Online, ‘I’m A Celebrity’ – which is hosted by Ant and Dec – is due to begin filming in the next few weeks at the castle.While there is no specific time scale given about when the restrictions will be relaxed, they look set to be reviewed "after two weeks and every week after that".
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "The restrictions will be in place until the risk of the spread of coronavirus has reduced, when they can be relaxed.
"The Welsh Government has a duty to review these restrictions after two weeks and every week after that if the restrictions remain in place longer than that."
Last week, it was reported ‘I’m A Celebrity’ bosses had hired a team of former Royal Marines to keep the castle safe from intruders.
An insider said: "The overall aim is to create a ring of steel around the landmark as ITV continue to transform it into a working set.
"And after investing millions in the project, they don’t want the big reveal ruined by anyone getting into the site so they are enlisting a small army of guards to patrol the place."