No I'm a Celebrity return for Richard Madeley after falling ill

“Gutted” Richard Madeley has officially left I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here after he was taken to hospital as a precaution when he felt unwell during the night.

The hospital trip meant the TV presenter had broken Covid protocol and therefore will not be allowed to return to the camp.

Wednesday’s episode of the show, shown on STV, saw Madeley slide head first into a sewer of rotten fruit and vegetables during a trial called Castle Kitchen Nightmares.

The challenge saw the presenter hunt for ten hidden stars in a room “full of castle critters” as rotten food was dumped on him from above.

The 65-year-old revealed that he won’t be returning to the show with a post on his Instagram page on Thursday.

He said: “Richard here – firstly just to say that I’m absolutely fine. I started to feel briefly unwell in the small hours of the morning and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

“By leaving the camp, I had consequently broken the Covid ‘bubble’ and as such I’ve had to leave the castle and all the wonderful celebs that remain in the camp.

“Obviously I’m gutted to be leaving so soon but the safety of all the campmates is the number one priority. I’m incredibly excited to watch their journey continue…even more so at the prospect of being somewhere a little warmer than Gwrych Castle.

“Thank you to everyone who supported me on my brief but completely unforgettable adventure – I’ve made some great friends and honestly had the time of my life.”

Madeley, best-known for hosting This Morning alongside his wife Judy Finnigan, was one of 12 contestants taking part in this year’s series at Gwrych Castle in North Wales.

An ITV spokesman said: “Richard was unwell in the early hours and was immediately seen by our on-site medical team.

“He’s since been taken to hospital as a precaution, the health and safety of our campmates is our priority.”