Meet Richard Madeley - former I'm A Celebrity 2021 contestant

In a statement announcing his departure on Thursday (November 25), Richard revealed why he has had to leave the show due to the breaking of the COVID protocols with his required hospital visit.

ITV had previously confirmed that Richard had been transported to the hospital after feeling "unwell" on Wednesday night (24 November).

In a statement to RadioTimes.com, ITV commented: “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.”

The Good Morning Britain star had been one of the most famous faces to head into I’m A Celebrity this year and has already taken part in tasks voted for by the British public.

Richard is no stranger to reality TV either, having recently appeared on Channel 4's social media reality series The Circle, meaning he was no stranger to bringing his big personality into strange new surroundings.

Read on as RadioTimes.com has compiled all you need to know about Richard Madeley's time on I'm A Celebrity 2021.

Richard Madeley leaves I'm A Celebrity 2021

A statement on November 25 from Richard Madeley confirmed his departure from the show.

Richard revealed: “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.”

Meanwhile, ITV confirmed his exit from the show and explained: “Our strict COVID protocols means Richard has sadly had to leave the show as he is no longer in the bubble the celebrities form when entering the castle. He has been a truly brilliant camp mate and we thank him for being part of this series.”

Viewers will see the events around Richard's exit play out in the coming days.

Who is Richard Madeley?

Age: 65

Job: Journalist and presenter

Twitter: @richardm56

Richard Madeley is of course best known for being one half of presenting duo Richard and Judy, having hosted shows such as This Morning and chat show Richard and Judy with his wife Judy Finnigan over a period of two decades.

Richard has since worked as a stand-in presenter on The Wright Stuff, and since 2017 has appeared as a guest presenter on the breakfast show Good Morning Britain.

He has reportedly been offered a more permanent job on the show, though won't be full-time until Christmas and had been suspiciously coy about his future plans in the weeks in the run-up to the show.

What had Richard Madeley said about joining I’m A Celebrity 2021?

On joining I'm A Celebrity this year, Richard said: “Up until now, I’ve always been perfectly happy watching as a viewer but recently, I realised I’m A Celebrity is no longer just a TV programme. It’s become part of the fabric of British life and part of the countdown to Christmas. It suddenly hit me that everyone talks about it the next day and I wondered what it would be like to be there rather than watching. I realised the time had come to experience it.”

Unlike most celebrities, Richard had said that he hopes to be voted for trials and even sees them as a bit of fun.

"I really hope I do get voted for the trials," Richard said. "The thing about this programme is you mustn’t go into it if you take yourself remotely seriously. I don’t and I am thoroughly looking forward to being covered in god knows what! You have to be prepared for people to laugh and I see this as a bloody great romp of fun!”

The Good Morning Britain presenter also discussed his thoughts on how the public will perceive him and whether he wanted to win.

He explained that he did not want to be voted out first, explaining: "But that’s because I want to experience everything."

Madeley added: "I certainly don’t worry about what people think. If you are in the public eye and you start worrying about how people will see you, you end up going mad!"

I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! 2021 began on Sunday, November 21, 2021.

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