Nigel Farage is mulling over a 'big decision' as he confesses that he hasn't yet put pen to paper on an I'm A Celebrity contract.
The politician insisted that while he's not dismissing the idea of jetting off to the Australian jungle for the popular reality TV show, he hasn't made a firm decision.
He shared with GB News: "I have an existing Australian visa so if I chose to go there on holiday I could without too much difficulty. I've thought about [the offer] hard, for the last ten days or so. It's quite a big decision and quite an unconventional thing for me to do.
"There is a big, young audience out there who don't really have anyone that speaks to them, it seems to me, about current affairs and politics in Britain. That's what tempts me, but I haven't signed a contract… yet."
Nigel's comments come a week after he first addressed the rumours of his appearance.
He revealed: "Several times since 2016 I've had I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here say to me 'come into the jungle'. And they've always offered me really quite substantial sums of money to do so. And I've always thought, 'No it's probably not the right thing for me to do.
"They've been back on the phone this year and you might have seen the Sun put me on the front page mocked up as if I was there already. And the Mail say I am seriously considering it.
"Well, I'll tell you what, you've got about 10 million young people who watch that programme. These are people who don't really watch the news or read newspapers, but they still care about the country they live in and about their futures. And actually, in many ways, the futures of young people in Britain have been blighted.
"They haven't got the same opportunities that their parents and grandparents had. And they'd love to look for solutions. So in my mind, if I was to do it, I might be able to connect with that audience because goodness me they all watch it.
"There are downsides to doing it as well. I haven't absolutely fully made up my mind. I'm running a poll as we speak on Tik Tok asking people do you think I should do it? Or do you think I should not do it?"
The 59 year old former leader of the Brexit Party's comments come after he reportedly held advanced discussions with ITV's show producers.
The Sun first reported how the potential deal, understood to be valued at up to £1million, is being arranged through the same talent agency, The Visionary Talent Agency, that represented Georgia Toffolo, the show's winner in 2017.
Boy George's appearance on the show last year allegedly earned him £900,000, and it is speculated that Nigel could demand a similar sum.
TV bosses believe signing Nigel will ensure another hit series, especially after the last season's success featuring Matt Hancock, the former Health Secretary. The show's line-up is also set to include jockey Frankie Dettori and This Morning's Josie Gibson.
A TV insider told the publication: "They've offered him a huge fee as they know he'll drive up viewing figures. Ant and Dec will love this signing. Nigel's the ultimate Marmite character and won't hold back in camp discussions. It's a real coup. The casting team has nailed it. It's shaping up to be a brilliant series."
If Nigel decides to join, he'll be following in the footsteps of former MPs like Nadine Dorries and Edwina Currie, and even Boris Johnson's dad, Stanley, who have all braved the jungle challenge.
Nigel, the former UKIP leader, previously joked about wanting to join Love Island as a new contestant, saying the ITV2 show looked "rather good fun." He made this comment after appearing on BBC's Daily Politics show with islander Hayley Hughes, where they discussed Brexit.
Nigel said: "I haven't really been a fan of it but having sort of researched it a bit this morning it sounds like rather good fun actually," and added, "I might get invited on, you never know." ITV told OK!: "Any names suggested for I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! are just speculation, we'll announce our line up in due course."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI engine, which speeds up OK!'s editorial research and applies it to article templates created by journalists in our newsrooms. An OK! editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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