Larry Lamb’s family all had to agree to let him appear on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ because of his previous battle with malaria.
The 69-year-old actor contracted the potentially life-threatening disease from a mosquito bite he received during a trip to Senegal six years ago, and has now revealed that he had to win the approval of his children – Vanessa, 47, George, 36, Eloise, 17, and Eva-Mathilde, 13 – and his partner Clare Burt before he was allowed to head into the jungle.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper, the former ‘EastEnders’ star said: "It’s a family business. Everybody had to agree it was OK for the old boy to do it. We had a meeting."
And Larry has also revealed that the disease – which left him almost totally deaf in one ear and suffering from chronic joint pain – makes him value his health, as he still has "flare ups".
He added: "Occasionally I have flare-ups where I don’t feel 100 per cent, but they go away.
"It’s made me wary of going to countries where mosquitoes may be buzzing around."
The ‘Gavin & Stacey’ star was picked by the ITV show’s bosses due to his link to last year’s controversial contestant Lady Colin Campbell, whom Larry once dated.
An insider said: "Lady C was a big hit and they wanted someone with a connection.
"They were looking at her sons, but when Larry was up for it they were over the moon."
Also heading off into the jungle alongside Larry will be TV presenter Carol Vorderman, 55, model Lisa Snowdon, 44, footballer Wayne Bridge, 36, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star Ola Jordan, 34, comedian Joel Dommett , 30, Olympic hockey star Sam Quek, 28, ‘Emmerdale’ actor Adam Thomas, 28, ‘Gogglebox’ star Scarlett Moffatt, 26 and Diversity dancer Jordan Banjo, 23.
‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ starts on ITV on Sunday (13.11.16).
Larry Lamb’s I’m A Celebrity approval
