FORMER UKIP LEADER and GBNews host Nigel Farage will be entering the jungle for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me out of here this year.

Farage, who spearheaded the Vote Leave campaign that led to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, says he’s been “demonised” over the years and wants to show people he’s not “mean-spirited”.

Asked about how he will survive the potentially deadly terrain, Farage said he is “used to dealing with snakes and other horrible reptiles” in the European Parliament and at Westminster.

The ex-Brexit party leader said he has been abstaining from tea, coffee and alcohol as part of his preparation. 

The GB News presenter said in a video for the channel: “So the speculation is over, I am going into the jungle, but it’s okay because I am used to dealing with snakes and other horrible reptiles both in Brussels and here in Westminster – I’m sure I’ll be able to survive.”

🌴 The speculation is over... 🌴#NigelFarage | @Nigel_Farage pic.twitter.com/VoamVMtdLm

— GB News (@GBNEWS) November 13, 2023

The 59 year old will be joined by Britney Spears’ sister, the actress Jamie Lynn Spears, This Morning presenter Josie Gibson and singer Marvin Humes on the ITV show.

Other famous faces in the line-up are First Dates star Fred Sirieix, reality star Sam Thompson, YouTuber Nella Rose, food critic Grace Dent, EastEnders actress Danielle Harold and Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard.

Meet the 10 brave Celebrities who are heading to the infamous Australian Jungle this Sunday at 9pm. 🇦🇺 #ImACeleb ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/1Qjc8kAizz

— I'm A Celebrity... (@imacelebrity) November 13, 2023

Farage follows in the footsteps of former health secretary Matt Hancock, who was voted to complete numerous bushtucker trials before he made it to the final of the show last year.

The GB News host said he thinks he will face the same fate, saying: “Given millions hate me, I do expect people will vote for me to do trials.

“My crime was to stand against an establishment view and I was for many years the lone voice saying Europe wasn’t where we should be, so I have been a little bit demonised.

“I am hoping those who hate me might hate me a little bit less afterwards. But it’s a gamble.

“And the idea that somehow the things I represent – mean-spirited, small-minded, nasty, the ‘little Englander’ – all those accusations that have been flung at me over the years just aren’t true. If we can dispel some of those misconceptions, then that will be a good thing too.”

He added: “What will be interesting is the perception the other campers will have of me.

“They will go in with their preconceived ideas and it might be a little bit frosty – we will just have to see.”

'It's actually a very serious situation for me...'#NigelFarage | @Nigel_Farage | #ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/e1htEUQIw3

— GB News (@GBNEWS) November 13, 2023

Farage was at the centre of a banking scandal in June, when he revealed the bank Coutts, which is owned by NatWest, was planning to close his account.

He claimed it was due to his political opinions and the saga culminated in the resignation of chief executive Dame Alison Rose.

Explaining why he wanted to take part in the ITV show, he said: “I want to test myself. Business, politics, media, I’ve done so many different jobs and generally I have been reasonably successful. But I have never been tested in quite this way.

“It’s such a mental test and maybe I will discover who I really am.

“I understood why Matt Hancock did it. He went in there with his reputation on the floor.

The truth is after the banking issue I raised a few months ago, I was standing up for a million people who had lost their bank accounts, then winning at the Tric awards, I am going in at a different stage of my career.”

He added he does not expect politicians to celebrate his appearance in the jungle, saying: “They will be mostly against it.

“But most people in politics are disconnected from the country and the real world.”

I’m A Celebrity.. Get Me Out Of Here starts on Sunday 19 November at 9pm.

Additional reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill