‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ bosses have reportedly hired a team of former Royal Marines to keep Gwrych Castle safe from intruders.
ITV has splashed out millions on their new castle set, where the show’s stars will sleep under a roof for the first time.
The programme has swapped its usual home in the Australian jungle for the colder location of Gwrych Castle, at Abergele in North Wales, this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and they are adding the extra security to protect the landmark.
An insider told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: "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."
It was recently revealed that the campmates will have some protection from the Welsh winter as they will sleep under a solid structure, made from extra-strong plastic – unlike when the series is shot Down Under.
A show source said: "This isn’t a holiday camp for the stars, but without a roof, everyone would have been utterly miserable for three weeks, which would not make great telly.
"It will still be hard work but slightly warmer than if it snows where they are sleeping."
ITV are said to have forked out more than £1 million to hire the creepy castle, which is said to be haunted, and while the location is entirely different, there will still be a campfire – a regular in the ‘I’m A Celebrity’ Australian jungle – in an unsheltered part of the 19th-century fortress.
The source added: "ITV want viewers to largely recognise the show."
But to make the castle safe for the show – which will once again be hosted by Ant and Dec – ITV have had to repair towers, and install hundreds of yards of pipes and electrics.
Former ‘EastEnders’ star Tamzin Outhwaite, ex-‘Strictly’ dancer AJ Pritchard, and ‘Coronation Street’ actress Beverley Callard have all been linked to the new series, in which the winning star will be crowned King or Queen of the Castle, rather than the usual King or Queen of the Jungle.