Rosemary Shrager

Rosemary Shrager

Rosemary Shrager naturally sees her role in the camp as the cook of the jungle – but she also wants to give her fellow celebrities some lessons and she definitely won’t be afraid to tell them if their food tastes disgusting.

No-nonsense Rosemary, who runs a cookery school at Swinton Park and who is best known for being a haute cuisine teacher on ITV1’s Ladette to Lady, says honesty is crucial if her fellow campers are going to improve their culinary skills over the next few weeks.

“I think it will be fun to show them how to do it,” she says. “People pay a lot of money to come to my classes to learn to cook. I can give them a free lesson as long as its something I know. I will tell them what I think. I will say ‘well done, but this is disgusting and try better next time!”

Wishing she could take her kitchen knives into the jungle, Rosemary adds: “I am sure they will want me to step in and of course I will step in.

“I didn’t think about recipes beforehand though. It’s going to be rice and beans and so I felt there was no point wondering what to do. What is going to be curious, however, is the fact I have never cooked some of the protein that you find in the jungle before. I haven’t cooked a possum or kangaroo or crocodile.”

And it’s the lack of food that will prove to be one of the biggest hurdles for Rosemary, who has worked with Jean-Christophe Novelli in the past and who is currently hosting her own TV series which will give someone the opportunity to work in a Michelin star restaurant.

“The lack of food will be tough for me,” says Rosemary. “I think you will go on an emotional rollercoaster as everyone’s sugar levels are bound to be low. The boredom will be tough too. I will need to keep myself active. If I am going to starve, I will need to do things and so I will probably drive everyone crazy with my singing!”

It’s her larger than life personality that Rosemary hopes will shine through whilst she is in the jungle – so long as she remembers to stand back and not get too bossy with her fellow campers. Laughing, Rosemary explains: “I am bossy and I need to watch that. “I am going to have to stand back for a few days so I don’t annoy them. It’s not fair.

“That said, I do think I am softer than people think and I do think I am a very nurturing kind of person. I see myself as a mother type figure and I do think I am a fairly easy person to live with.

“I am actually quite zany and I hope I can find another partner in crime to be active with.”

The main reason for going on I’m A Celebrity, admits Rosemary, is the challenge of living out in the wild. “This is definitely going to be the toughest thing I have ever done,” she says. “I have never camped out in the stars before and I am not an outdoors person either.”

She also wants to overcome her fear of snakes and heights - something that she worries may prevent her from even walking across the bridge to enter the jungle camp.

“I haven’t had any hypnosis or done anything to overcome my fears, but I am really scared to even go over that bridge,” says Rosemary. “I am not a screamer type of person but I have never been in this kind of situation before. I can climb up places but I can’t get down. I get stuck and scared. It’s awful.

“But I will try my best and I am looking forward to everything with such anticipation. It will be interesting to see who comes into the jungle and who is going to do my head in!”

As one of the oldest contestants on this year’s I’m A Celebrity, Rosemary insists she won’t be wearing any bikinis during her stay in the jungle. And will she mind if she loses weight?

“Gosh I don’t mind at all,” she replies. 

Honest, upfront and very much someone who says it as it is, Rosemary hopes her appearance on I’m A Celebrity will lead to more TV work. “I love TV,” she says, smiling. “I am a performer and I’d love to do anything that suits me. But I am old and I am no spring chicken. For me, going in the jungle will be a great experience and I want to have lots of fun.”