Maura Higgins ‘accidentally’ throws out camp meal on I’m A Celebrity

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Entertainment Reporter

Former Love Island star Maura Higgins prompted a mass search from her campmates in tonight’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! after she “accidentally” threw a meal of rice and beans in the bin.

Reverend Richard Coles and former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Oti Mabuse were initially unable to find the food, but Mabuse eventually retrieved it from the bins.

After the meal was returned to camp, 34-year-old Higgins told the Bush Telegraph: “I didn’t throw the rice and beans in the rubbish on purpose or anything, although that’s the place for them if I’m being honest. It was a complete accident.”

Later in the show, Mabuse, 34, told the camp she was missing her family as she was consoled by former N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos.

The South African dancer said: “You know they say you have a dip, and I don’t think I’ve had one until now.

“You don’t have your normal support you know, you don’t have your spiritual support, you don’t have your emotional support, you don’t have your physical (support).

“It’s the mental and physical support for me which for me I was just like, wow, ok none of my family’s around.”

To which the 36-year-old singer replied: “Your jungle family’s here though.”

Later, Mabuse told the Bush Telegraph: “I just have to remind myself why I’m here, I just have to push and dig deep.

“I’m here for my daughter and I have to be strong. It’s just exhausting sometimes to be strong.”

Elsewhere, radio DJ Melvin Odoom irritated the camp with the amount of water he was using to shower, when he was spotted carrying his fourth bucket of the day.

Journalist Jane Moore told him: “Come on Melvin, you’ve got to leave some for Dean (McCullough, radio presenter) to do.”

To which former boxing champion Barry McGuigan replied: “Don’t hold your breath.”

McCullough, Coronation Street actor Alan Halsall and McFly singer Danny Jones took on The Rank Bank Bushtucker Trial, with their fellow campmates invited along to watch.

Presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly explained: “Jungle life is about to get very expensive.

“Everyday essentials in camp are going to cost you money and to pay for them you’ll have to use your jungle cash card.

“You’re going to be split into three teams.”

The trio were the first members of the teams, with each having a different colour cash card.

McCullough, Moore, Coleen Rooney and Odoom made up the pink team; Halsall, Contostavlos, Coles and McGuigan formed the blue team; while Jones, Higgins, Mabuse and podcaster GK Barry joined the orange team.

McCullough, Halsall and Jones were then tasked with earning money for their team’s cash card by completing four races, with the winner awarded 300 dollars, second place taking 200 dollars and third collecting 100 dollars if they completed the task within the time limit.

In the first race, the trio were asked to empty a deposit box filled with raw pig testicles; in the second, they had to battle to collect three coins from a box of fish guts; and for the third, they were tasked with squeezing the juice out of fish eyes into a shot glass.

For the first three races contestants were only allowed to use their mouths, but in the final task they had to put their hands into a hole filled with critters in order to unscrew three coins as quickly as possible.

At the end of the trial, Halsall’s blue team finished with the most money with 1,100 dollars, while the pink and orange teams were tied on 500 dollars each.

The group returned to find a new-look camp, complete with turnstiles to use the toilet, shower, pool and bath at 10 dollars a visit, along with a vending wall, depositing fresh filtered water and logs for the fire, priced at 10 dollars per item.

There was also a treat machine where campmates could buy extra treats for camp.

Later, Moore, Higgins and Coles took part in the day’s challenge, which saw them each take a phone call and asked to memorise the call’s hold music, they were then asked a question about its lyrics.

For each correct answer, the contestants were given 200 dollars for their cash cards, after all three jingles had played, Higgins and Coles had both banked 600 dollars each, while Moore had 400 dollars.