Claire Sweeney's show no

Claire Sweeney says she would never appear on 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' because she has a "phobia of maggots".

The former 'Brookside' star - who appeared on the very first series of 'Celebrity Big Brother' and also starred in 'Strictly Come Dancing' - has ruled out appearing on the jungle-based reality show because she thinks producers would capitalise on her fears.

She said: "I seem to be a guinea pig for these hit shows! I don't think I would do any others but never say never. 'Dancing On Ice' scares me because you could very well be injured and it could put me out of work.

"I'm addicted to 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' but I have a phobia of maggots so I would never do it!"

Claire also recalled how appearing on 'Celebrity Big Brother' helped kickstart her ailing career.

She said: "'Celebrity Big Brother' really was a turning point in my career. I came out of there and I had a wishlist of jobs and I kind of got them all. I hosted my own Saturday night TV show, I had my album, I was the face of Marks and Spencer and I starred in the musical 'Chicago'!"