Joey Essex reportedly won his place in the I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! lineup over a number of his TOWIE co-stars.
The 23-year-old TOWIE regular, who has been tipped as an early favourite, will join Olympian Rebecca Adlington, snooker champion Steve Davis, former Westlife star Kian Egan and Miss Great Britain Amy Willerton when the series starts on November 17.
I'm a Celebrity producers were in talks with a number of TOWIE cast members, reports The Mirror, but were unwilling to send more than one star from the reality show to the jungle.
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It is claimed that Lauren Pope, Lucy Mecklenburgh, James 'Arg' Argent and Chloe Sims were also hoping to enter the jungle for I'm a Celebrity's 13th run.
A show insider said that the competition was "fierce" between the co-stars, but Essex was ultimately chosen because series bosses felt he would be more entertaining and was more likely to be picked for Bushtucker Trials.
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Since the lineup was announced, Essex has promised to have his shirt off for most of his time in the jungle.
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! starts November 17 at 9pm on ITV.
