She’s walked the world’s biggest runways, posed for countless magazine covers and rubbed shoulders with Hollywood royalty, but insiders say nothing prepared Rachel Hunter for the awkward jungle interrogation she faced on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
New Idea can reveal Rachel was quietly “set up” to answer questions about her ex-husband, Rod Stewart, and, while the international supermodel knew the topic would come up, insiders say she wasn’t comfortable with how hard producers pushed it.
“Everyone wanted the goss,” a source close to production tells New Idea. “It wasn’t subtle. The campmates were being nudged to ask her about Rod.”
According to insiders, Rachel was not about to be turned into a headline factory and didn’t want her entire time on the show to be about Rod.
“She had a very clear line,” says the insider. “She didn’t want her whole ‘jungle’ journey to be reduced to Rod Stewart.”
Viewers have long suspected the jungle is full of spontaneous conversations, but insiders say Rachel was pushed to discuss Rod behind the scenes.
“Producers were absolutely producing moments,” claims the source. “They wanted the Rod storyline. They wanted the reactions. They wanted the quotes.”
“It became a thing,” says the insider. “People were trying to get her to open up, and some of the questions were inappropriate.
“Most people who pushed her were met with a ‘how dare you’ kind of response. She shut it down fast.”
But then something shifted. Not because of producer pressure, but because of one unexpected campmate.
New Idea understands it was comedian Nath Valvo who managed to break through Rachel’s defences, making her feel comfortable enough to discuss her relationship with Rod, even briefly.
“Nath was the only one who cracked her,” says the insider. “He was funny without being pushy. He didn’t make it creepy or intense. He made it safe.” And for Rachel, that mattered.
“She could tell Nath wasn’t trying to use her for a moment,” the source explains. “He was genuinely curious and kind, so she softened.”
And that was clear on Tuesday, January 20, when Rachel sat firmly beside Nath, 42, while discussing her seven-year marriage to Rod, with whom she shares two children.
“We were together for like seven years, it was great,” she shared on the Channel 10 show.
“We were on the road, it was magic. We had an amazing relationship, and we have a lot of respect for each other.”
Insiders claim Rachel and Nath’s bond was one of the most surprising camp dynamics of the season.
“It was actually really sweet,” the insider adds. “You’d never expect those two to connect the way they did.”
While most celebrities fear the creepy crawlies, the hunger, or the infamous eating trials, insiders say Rachel’s biggest stress wasn’t physical at all, but the personal campfire questions.
“Honestly, it wasn’t the challenges that worried her,” the source says. “It was the conversations. Being put on the spot. Being asked personal questions.”
Responding to the claims, a Channel 10 spokesperson said, “In camp, conversations spark the same way they do anywhere else, naturally and often unexpectedly.”
“Our celebrities choose what they share, when they share it, and how much they reveal. No scripts. No prompts. No persuasion.
“When someone opens up by the fire, it’s their own decision, inspired by the unique jungle environment, the bonds formed, and the very real experience of living it all together.
“And just like the viewers at home, we’re simply along for the ride as these honest moments unfold.”
Rachel, who has spent decades navigating fame at the highest level, reportedly kept her cards “close to her chest” and walked away happy with how she portrayed herself in the camp.
“She came out pretty happy,” the source reveals. “She didn’t give away everything. She kept control of her narrative.”
Insiders say that Rachel has been offered a place in the jungle multiple times, but finally agreed this year so she could “do it on her terms”.
Now, insiders say the most fascinating part of Rachel’s jungle storyline may not be what she said — but what viewers never get to see.
New Idea understands Rachel’s conversations about Rod were heavily discussed in edit, with producers debating how much to include.
“There’s been a lot of talk about what makes the final cut,” says the insider. “It’s a sensitive area and Rachel’s a major international name.”
Of course, Rachel understands why the public is still obsessed with Rod.
“She knows it’s her biggest headline,” says the source. “She married one of the world’s biggest rock stars. She was young. It was iconic.”
But insiders say her ‘jungle’ experience has proven she won’t allow that to define her, having risen to fame herself as a world-famous model before meeting Rod.
“Rachel’s been famous in her own right for decades,” the insider says. “She didn’t come into ‘the jungle’ to be Rod Stewart’s ex-wife.”
Read more about Rachel and Rod’s whirlwind romance here.
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