Every star that left I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2026

When Gary Sweet entered the South African jungle, he did not expect to make it all the way to the end of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

The beloved actor embraced every challenge that came his way and formed many special bonds with his co-stars.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be sitting here in the top three,” he said during the finale. “It has changed my life.”

He also described it to Channel 10 as “one of the most exhilarating challenges” in his life.

While viewers and his campmates became fans of his humour and can-do attitude, they were also stunned when he revealed that he was raised by his aunt and uncle, and told that his parents were his aunt and uncle, and his sisters were his cousins.

“Bill and his wife had four daughters. They were getting divorced, but she was pregnant. Phil and his wife were unable to have children,” he explained.

“So when the baby was born, they gave the baby to his younger brother, Phil. The baby was me.”

Growing up, he was raised in Adelaide while his biological family lived in Melbourne. He found out about his adoption when he was seven years old.

“When I moved to Melbourne [as an adult], I used to see my biological father quite a bit,” he continued.

“It never really came up. Um, occasionally, if he was drunk, he’d say stuff (about it).”

During the show, he represented the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Before the winner was crowned, he praised the hospital for looking after his family over the years.

“They’ve also offered this comfort to parents who are at their most vulnerable when their little men are distressed. I just think the staff, the nurses and the doctors deserve everything that we can give them.”

Throughout his time on I’m a Celebrity, fans fell in love with Luke’s positivity, kindness and vulnerability.

The former NRL player and Bachelor star made it all the way to the finale.

Even though he loves living in regional Queensland, he told New Idea that nothing prepared him for the conditions on the show.

“It’s cold showers, you’re sleeping with mosquitoes biting you while you sleep, and then if it’s raining, you’re getting rained on. It’s true that it’s just exactly what you see is what you get,” he said.

With this being his second reality show under his belt, Luke confesses that he doesn’t plan to do another in the future and wants to focus on his upcoming book series.

“It’s a coming-of-age story that, really, I think for me, there are a lot of themes that sit beneath the narrative that are really important to me,” he explained.

“It themes around boyhood and masculinity and how we condition boys and what certain industries in our world, what they sort of turn men into.”

While he has not paid much attention to the comments, he said fans did reach out to him and thanked him for sharing his past addiction struggles.

For the star, it was important to be open.

“So living your truth and standing in your truth and speaking your truth is extremely important to me as an addict in recovery, and that’s just the value that I sort of live by,” he said.

“It’s not easy, and it’s ugly at times, and it’s hard, and it’s really, really difficult at times to divulge the worst parts of yourself.”

“But that’s just how I have to live because I know what happens when I live in another way.”

Even though he said it was too early to know about how much he learned from the experience, he knows it had an impact on him.

“A truly life-changing experience in many ways,” he said. “I think my biggest takeaway from the whole thing was the beautiful people I met, the connections that I formed and the friendships that I’ve left with that have enriched my life,” he said.

Read more from our exclusive chat with Luke here.

Rebekah Elmaloglou was devastated to miss out on a place in the final after going home on Wednesday, February 18.

She walked out after Cyrell Paule, and alongside Nath Valvo, as they sweetly declared they came in joint “fourth place”.

Instead, it was Luke Bateman, Gary Sweet and Concetta Caristo who made it to the final, with the public set to vote for who will win on Sunday.

Speaking to New Idea after her elimination, the Neighbours star said she was surprised to have made it as far in the competition as she did.

“Being put up for two eliminations earlier, I really didn’t think I was going to make it that far, so I was pretty happy with how I did,” she shared.

“I’m disappointed that I didn’t win or get into the final with the possibility of winning for my charity, but I’m pretty happy.”

Rebekah revealed she has long been recruited to appear on IAC, but had never been able to do so before because of clashes with filming Neighbours, which was cancelled in late 2025, freeing up her schedule.

“They had asked me for quite a few years running, leading up to this, but I hadn’t been able to do it due to my commitment to Neighbours, which was always a bit of a bummer,” she said.

“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, though.”

So, what did she find the hardest in camp? The food trials and the camp dramas!

“You are confined to a very small space with 13 strong, interestingly different personalities,” she explained.

“I found the trials so much harder than I thought they’d be! The food trials, I thought I’d knock them out of the park, but they were probably up there as being some of the worst [things about the show].”

Rebekah also discussed Deni Hines’ fallouts with campmates, admitting that it was one of the most challenges part of her jungle experience.

“The whole situation with Deni was tough, I just don’t think she was very happy whilst she was in there,” she conceded.

“I think that was probably one of the most challenging things for most people, having a few dramas, and I think the elimination, unfortunately, the way it had to be this year, being a prerecord, was a tricky one for the camp.”

But it wasn’t all drama, as she also formed some very close friendships, particularly with Rachel Hunter, Nath Valvo and Cyrell Paule.

Rebekah admitted she was “devastated” when Rachel was the first to go home in the eliminations, adding, “I think she and I will always have a wonderful relationship.”

As for who she wants to win? She’s backing Gary until the end!

“I think it’s going to be really tight! I would like Gary to win, my fellow thespian. I just feel like [he was the] dad of the camp, and also he had everyone’s backs, he was there for everyone,” she added.

Nath Valvo also was sent packing during the brutal triple elimination, walking out alongside Rebekah.

Speaking to New Idea after his exit, Nath admitted he is rooting for Concetta to be crowned Queen of the Jungle.

“I love all three, but go Chet! I think it’s time we have a Queen, it’s long overdue,” he shared.

“I just feel that everything about Chet needs to be celebrated. She’s joyful, funny, whip-smart, strong, and she’s just a pretty great person. I reckon the boys will be just fine.”

On paper, IAC was Nath’s worst nightmare, and he made no secret of his hatred for camping, though he said the “single worst thing” he’s ever done was the eating trial.

He has admitted that his husband, Cody, didn’t think he’d last longer than a week, and said he found it harder being separated from his partner than he thought he would.

“We didn’t think I’d last a week,” he quipped. “We assumed I’d just be gone for a week. [Me and Cody] are very close, we touch base a lot.

“I’m a very nervous person, and he’s the opposite; he’s a surfer from Queensland, he’s so grounded and normal – I’ve just never not had him to talk to.”

“I really struggled with that, and that was a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

As for his hardest moment in camp? He admitted he nearly quit the show over his fallout with Deni Hines.

“I did get very close to walking when it was all going down because it was all so yucky, and I didn’t want that,” he shared.

But the challenges of the jungle haven’t turned him off reality TV for life, as he’s already eyeing up another major show.

“I’ll be honest with you, I’ve now had a little taste of doing this reality TV and the game, and it is really fun,” he teased.

“I may have messaged my manager yesterday saying I want to do The Traitors.”

Though the politics around the campmates nominating each other annoyed him on IAC, he said he wouldn’t mind it as much on a show where that is the entire premise.

“In camp , with elimination nominations and Bec and Cyrell talking about who were threats, the only reason it was yucky was because we hadn’t agreed in camp of what the show was.

“But when you’re talking about The Traitors, everyone is in to play the game. There’s no faffing about, and nobody’s feelings are hurt because you’re just going to play the game.”

So, would you want to see Nath as a Traitor or a Faithful?

Read more of our exclusive interview with Nath here.

MAFS star Cyrell Paule sadly fell short of making the final as she was eliminated during the final week.

While she was on the show, she was incredibly candid.

She exclusively told New Idea that she worried about how viewers would receive her, but thought they saw a different side of her.

One standout moment for her was when she spoke about her facial scar.

“It’s not something I’d like to share with everyone,” she shared after her shock elimination.

“So when I did speak about it, especially regarding my scar and everything, I was very taken aback by the support I had from people.

“And so many people wrote to me and told me their story, and how much I’d inspired them.”

“So like in in in a way, even though it was such a vulnerable thing for me to do, I was glad that I helped reach out to other women or, other young men out there.”

Going into the jungle with a fear of animals (she doesn’t even go near her partner’s cat!), she knew to expect the unexpected, and that she’d be tested.

But her desire to try everything paid off, especially when she went into the infamous Viper Room.

“You know what? I’m so happy that I just gave it a try and didn’t give up, because I ended up breaking the world record,” she said, where she and Concetta Caristo lasted 43 minutes in the room.

Even though she worried about who else would be on the show, she became close with the other cast members, especially actress and mother Rebecca Elmaloglou.

However, she famously clashed with Deni Hines, who was the first to leave the jungle.

“She’s not really a people person, like, she doesn’t really know how to be,” she said. “Like I remember just being in there, the first thing I thought was like, ‘Oh God, for once it’s not me’,” she continued, then joking, “But that didn’t last for very long.”

She said watching it all back was such a joy watching the show with her family, especially her son Boston, who often asked her why she cried “so much”.

As for who she thinks will win? She wants Garry Sweet to win, but thinks Aussies will vote for Luke Bateman.

George Calombaris has become the latest celebrity to leave the South African jungle.

He narrowly missed out on making it to the final as the competition’s end is just around the corner. Just before his elimination, he announced that he had opened a new pop-up restaurant called Auto Greek at Bar Yarra in Melbourne.

“Everyone is allowed to think whatever they want to think about it,” he exclusively told New Idea.

“I’m not there to debate and try and persuade your thoughts.

All I know is I love cooking, and I know if you hate me, you’ll love my food. If you love me, you’ll love my food. If you’re sitting on the fence, you’ll love my food.

“That’s great cause food is real. It’s raw. It’s in front of you. It’s emotional. It represents who I am. So, I think this is just a good time. It’s been a long time coming.”

For the former MasterChef Australia judge, who relocated to Sydney, it was great to return to a city that has given him so much.

Coming off his experience on I’m a Celebrity, he said it made him appreciate the “simple things”, including his family, steamed rice, and a hot shower.

While it did challenge him physically and personally, it also tested him as a chef.

“It was a pleasure for me, and also with the limitations, I’ve never had to cook in situations like that in my life, so it was a challenge, the challenge accepted, and I really enjoyed it,” he said.

“I loved seeing their faces when I eat something and go, ‘Oh my god, how delicious’, and that made the whole process even more delightful.”

Watching on now, he said he had full faith in Luke Bateman, who became his sous chef during the experience.

While his time was cut short, he said he had no regrets and ticked off the goals he had written before going into the jungle.

Along with wanting to make his friends and family proud, he wanted to raise awareness about mental health and his charity, Beyond Blue.

“Bringing awareness obviously to humans out there that are struggling that there is a way, because I was in that dark place too, seven, eight years ago, a really dark place. I was lucky though, I had family and friends around me.”

Having knocked back offers to join the show for eight years, he knew people would have their opinions about him, but he has appreciated the support from viewers.

Mia Fevola was sadly the fifth celebrity to be evicted from the South African jungle.

During the latest elimination, it came down to her and MAFS star Cyrell Paule.

Speaking exclusively with New Idea, she said leaving was “bittersweet”.

“Leaving such an amazing experience was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I really didn’t want it to end at the time,” she explained.

“But I gained so much from it, and I learnt so much, and I’m yeah I feel really happy with how it all played out and um what I was able to achieve.”

Reflecting on her experience, she was proud and surprised at how much she pushed herself, especially when it came to overcoming her fear of water and jumping off a cliff for the stars.

“There was no possibility that I was going to say no to anything,” she confessed.

“But to know that I was actually able to succeed at it as well, the heights trial, I was very, very scared.

“To convince your mind and your body to launch yourself off the cliff was something that felt very, very unnatural, and I’m not really an adventurous kind of person.”

While she tested herself physically, she was surprised by how the public had responded to her admissions on the show, particularly when she opened up about receiving online abuse.

“I’m usually being criticised more than receiving positivity, and it’s been so lovely how well it’s been received,” she shared.

“The thing about this show is that it gives you an opportunity to tell your side of the story without anything being misconstrued for different headlines, and it was really nice to be able to talk openly and freely with people that I built such beautiful friendships with. It was very organic.”

Going on to the show, she was following in her father Brendan’s footsteps, and said it was a joy watching her journey with her family, describing it as a “full circle moment”.

“It’s been so special having that experience with them, and as well, because it’s such a unique experience, there’s not many people that can really understand or relate to the experience, and I’m just lucky enough that my dad is one of them,” she said.

Matt Zukowski was the third celebrity to leave the jungle on Wednesday, February 4.

It was the second time he was put at risk after he had to fight for his place against Rachel Hunter during the first elimination.

Sadly, he lost out to Dyson Heppell and Luke Bateman in the Elephant’s Graveyard challenge, sealing his fate.

Speaking exclusively to New Idea, he said it was an “honour” to lose the AFL and NRL legends.

Growing up, he watched the former Essendon captain play.

“I mean, I’ve watched him on the footy field a countless number of times at live games and then to think that he’s going to, you know, eliminate me,” Matt told us, revealing he’s still close with them both.

Even though he was the second person to be eliminated, he was “proud” of his progress on the show, especially when he confronted his fear of heights.

“When I had to do that final jump, my body just froze,” he said.

“And I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. I knew I was safe, cause I’d already fallen. And I felt the fall, and I think my body was like, ‘He doesn’t want to do this’… But I definitely tackled it. I got all the stars except for that final one, which I’m proud of my effort.”

He was also open about his high-profile split from Tammy Hembrow and his infertility struggles. When he got the call for the show, he said it came at the perfect time.

“Honestly, I came out completely healed. It was like a weight being lifted off my shoulder,” he said.

As for who he thinks will win? He doesn’t have a favourite to take it out.

“I’m not going to lie. They’re all family to me, and I honestly hope any of them do,” the Love Island Australia star said.

“Honestly, at the end of the day, whoever wins, that’s just the title, the rest of them I believe have gone through such a great journey in there, and yeah, nothing but love for them.”

Dyson Heppell was sent packing on Wednesday, February 11, after losing out to Gary Sweet in the eliminations.

However, there were no hard feelings as Dyson told New Idea that he enjoyed every second of jungle life.

“I had an absolute ball, I’m really glad I got the opportunity to do it, and, in the end, I had a hell of a lot of fun, met some really cool people,” he said.

“It was certainly challenging in terms of the food rations and going hungry most days, but in the end, I’m so grateful to have the chance to do it.”

Dyson admitted it was “really tough” having to put fellow campmates up for elimination, rather than the public voting for their favourites, because they had all formed such close relationships with one another.

As for what he didn’t enjoy so much about the jungle? The food rations and being in close quarters with his campmates all the time were less than desirable.

“The rations of food make you a bit lethargic and irritable, but in the end, I tried to embrace that as much as I could; that was a challenging part,” he shared.

“And also, you’re on top of each other, so it’s hard to get your own space, but in the end, I was pretty good with it all and loved the experience.”

Dyson found himself at the centre of some disagreements in the jungle, but he insisted he still got along well with all of his campmates.

“It was pretty funny, I was in the midst of a couple of [rows] too! Look, it’s all part of the game, and that made it really interesting,” he said.

“In the end, everyone is going to have their own spin or take on how they handle things, but I was one to just take it as it came and try to embrace everything.”

Dyson spoke about the infamous Essendon supplements scandal on IAC, and he told how it was very “therapeutic” for him to be able to share his side of the story.

In 2016, 34 Essendon players were found guilty of taking the banned substance Thymosin beta-4 during the 2012 season, despite initially being cleared by an anti-doping tribunal, with the scandal causing lasting damage to the club’s reputation.

“Part of my journey, I’ve really come to terms with everything that went down and completely forgiven those that were involved,” he said.

“It was quite therapeutic to be able to talk to others about it and hear their reflections on how they saw it at the time.”

As for why he decided to return to Essendon after the controversy, Dyson said he wanted to help the fans become proud of the club again.

“At the end of the day, I wanted to come back, also for my teammates who were still there at the time and for fans and members, to play a part in making them really proud to be part of the club again,” he added.

Now, he is starting a new chapter as the coach of Collingwood, and he’s excited to experience a “new culture” and environment, having known Essendon for his entire career.

Barry Williams was sadly evicted from the jungle.

The Brady Bunch star was eliminated in the latest round of eliminations, losing to Rebekah Elmaloglou.

He had been put through his paces in the jungle with a range of gruelling challenges while competing on behalf of wildlife rescue charity WIRES.

Fans were begging for Barry to be saved ahead of the vote, and were devastated to learn of his axing.

And Barry was equally as gutted, exclusively telling New Idea that it had never occurred to him that he might be one of the first celebrities to go home.

“It really hit me hard. I was in denial. I did not ever once think that I would be eliminated soon,” he confessed.

“That was just not in my body or thinking at all. When it happened, I thought, ‘I’ll have to work this out when I get back to camp’, so it was an adjustment.

“That’s the bad side, it’s the game, and it’s the way it’s supposed to play, but the thing I’m grateful for is that I really feel that I got the full experience of being there.”

Despite the challenges of jungle life, Barry said he loved his time on the Channel 10 show, but conceded that it is “much harder” than viewers might believe, revealing the jaw-dropping amount of weight he lost in the jungle.

“That was my favourite part, forget dieting! I lost over eight pounds, and that’s in a month,” he said, admitting that he was “starving” in the jungle.

Dishing on some behind-the-scenes secrets, Barry also revealed that the campmates never have any idea what time of day or night it is, and are even blindfolded whenever they leave the camp.

“Wisely, but challengingly, production kept us in the dark,” he shared.

“Even when we were going through challenges, we were blindfolded. We didn’t know where we were going, how far away it was, nothing!

“Then, you sit around camp, and the bone phone rings, and we’re just as surprised as the viewer, because we don’t know what’s coming.”

But living in close quarters in the jungle certainly bonded Barry and his campmates, with the actor revealing his close bond with Love Island Australia star Matt Zukowski.

“Matt Zukowski wants to take me clubbing, maybe there’s a thing or two that I could share with him to improve his [dating] game a little bit,” Barry quipped.

“A little 1980s game, bring that along!

“He said to me, ‘Baz, we’re going in, and maybe you can help with my game, get a couple of Shielas and buy them some drinks’. I said, ‘No, no, no, they’re going to be buying us drinks, Matt, come on’.”

As for whether Barry will come back to Australia? It could be sooner than you might think!

“I would guess that within the next two years, I’ll be there,” he teased.

Rachel Hunter was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the jungle on Sunday, February 1.

She was up against Matt Zukowski in a dreaded battle at the Elephant’s Graveyard to decide who would go home after their campmates put them up for elimination.

However, the ex-wife of Rod Stewart ultimately lost out and was sent packing, ending her time in the South African jungle.

Viewers had been desperate to save her and insisted she never would have gone home if there had been a public vote.

“There’s no way Rachel would have been in the bottom 3 if the public got a chance to vote. She’d better not go,” one fan raged online.

Responding to her shock exit, Rachel told New Idea that she had no hard feelings about her “short and sweet” stint in the jungle, but was surprised to have been nominated by her campmates.

“Everyone’s going on peace, love and happiness, and everyone is doing great, and then it comes to this point,” she said.

“Obviously, it was different this year because there wasn’t any public vote, it was against your teammates, and for whatever reason, I was chosen, whether it was an alliance situation, because there were closer relationships that were forming.

“All of us got on […], but we’re all competitive, we all want to win, but at the same time, there are these beautiful relationships forming. So when I was chosen, immediately your hackles go up because you’re like, ‘Why was I chosen? Why did you choose me?’

“[I] could have been the strongest candidate, could have been the weakest candidate, whatever way it went.”

She revealed she has been asked to do both the Australian and international versions of I’m A Celebrity before, but agreed to go on this year because she felt it was the right time, having not done any TV projects in a while.

Rachel also spoke about the deep and honest conversations they had in the jungle, admitting she didn’t have any game plan going into the jungle, but simply wanted to enjoy the experience.

“I didn’t really… did I open up that much? To me, it was like things that have been said a thousand times over because I’ve talked about this stuff before,” she said.

“It wasn’t my objective to go in there and think I want people to feel sorry for me or feel inspired in any way, it was just like let’s see what comes out.”

She spoke about how people might have had “preconceptions” of one another before they entered the jungle, admitting she knew nothing of Cyrell Paule before meeting her, having never watched Married At First Sight.

“To me, I just knew Cyrell from in there, and I just adore her,” she gushed.

“She is who she is, and she was in the elephant’s graveyard for two days, but the moment she came into camp and had food there, she was so gracious, she wasn’t just like ‘I haven’t eaten yet’. She’s as honest as they come; she says how she feels, but she’s very sensitive, too.

“So all these preconceived ideas that people had of people will hopefully dissolve, and people get to see another side.”

As for herself, Rachel spent years working as a supermodel before making a major career change to host yoga retreats, something she said she was inspired to do after her mother’s death.

She said, “When my mother died, it’s a pivotal moment we all experience at some time, death, and really being faced with that and making a pivotal change of changing grief into this space of inspiration, and really going through who you are and where you want to be in your life, that’s the most recent thing that has changed my life.”

Deni Hines struggled with jungle life from day one, but stuck it out for nearly a week before she quit on January 27, citing her difficulty to use the bathroom as the reason.

After her exit, it was claimed that her perseverance was down to a secret contract rule that kept her in the jungle for longer.

“Apparently, in the contract… every celebrity has to last at least 72 hours if they want to receive their full pay, so that’s kind of why Deni lasted this long,” Joshua Fox claimed on the MAFS Funny podcast.

“What I’m told is Deni wanted to quit [on] day one. She’s never watched I’m A Celebrity, she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into, and she didn’t particularly like anybody in the camp.”

However, Deni claimed that her clashes with campmates had nothing to do with why she quit the show, citing another reason for her departure.

“I’ve got an announcement to make,” she told her co-stars around the campfire on January 27.

“It’s got nothing to do with you all. I love all of you dearly, but I have decided to go home. I haven’t been able to go to the toilet for six days, I don’t feel good about that.

“I would rather do a poo in the jungle, but, unfortunately, we are in a national park, so I can’t, and I refuse to sit in that long drop.”

Her decision to quit was a far cry from her comments before the show aired, when she told us that she believed she would be crowned the Queen of the Jungle and would never quit the show.

“I’ve done yoga for years, I’m not afraid of heights or confined spaces – I actually want to jump out of a plane – and I’m used to being on the road touring, so I can handle sleeping in strange places,” she told New Idea at the time.

“I think I’m strong enough to become Queen of the Jungle. A 55-year-old woman with dreadlocks needs to win!”

“I also hate the word ‘celebrity’. I’m not a celebrity,” she continued. “I have a talent, so there is absolutely no way you’ll ever hear me say the words ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!’ I’m too stubborn.”

Despite going back on her vow, she told New Idea after her exit that she would have won if not for her toilet woes, and denied that her clash with Cyrell Paule prompted her to leave.

“I’m in my 50s, there was not one person in that camp who could make me leave, not one,” she insisted.

“Had I been able to s***, I would still be in the jungle, and I probably would’ve won! I listen to my body, and I did everything I could to try and s*** so I wouldn’t have to leave.”