Richard Madeley to leave I'm a Celebrity after emergency hospitalization despite feeling 'absolutely fine'

Richard Madeley will leave I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! permanently after being rushed to hospital in the early hours of Thursday morning. 

The Good Morning Britain presenter was struck by a mystery sickness after last night's episode of the ITV reality show and was immediately removed from Gwrych Castle in Wales to be treated at a nearby hospital. 

He has since shared an Instagram update on his condition, revealing that, although he is feeling "absolutely fine", he will not be returning to the camp. The English journalist explained that, because he had "broken the Covid 'bubble'" by leaving the castle, he has been prohibited from rejoining his fellow celebrities.   

Richard's dramatic turn, which occurred shortly after he participated in a food trial, was met with shock from his fellow contestants in the I'm a Celebrity lineup 2021. 

"It was horrifying—campers were really upset and concerned, all of the crew and medics rushed to set to help him," an inside source told the Sun. 

The worrying update comes shortly after it was suggested that I'm a Celebrity contestants are more pampered than you think, with hot water and cigarettes reportedly available on request for the ten VIPs. 

While details of Richard's exact ailment have yet to be confirmed, it's possible it was related to an earlier challenge. 

The ITV presenter faced defeat in the Celebrity Kitchen Nightmares trial on Wednesday night's episode, admitting he was "very disappointed" with his failure to complete the solo mission. 

The 65-year-old had been tasked by hosts Ant and Dec to find ten stars—which could be exchanged for a meal for his fellow campmates—hidden in a sewage area polluted with offal, fish guts, critters, and rotten fruit. 

Unfortunately, Richard struggled to work quickly enough within the 10-minute time limit, emerging from the nasty pit with a paltry four stars. His campmates were subsequently forced to dine on a dinner of squirrel meat—a dish that, while popular in certain places in the world, is rarely eaten in Britain. 

"'I'm very disappointed. I just don't see what more I could have done," he told the Telegraph. 

The Welsh Ambulance Service has now confirmed that it was alerted to a "medical emergency" at the I'm a Celebrity castle just before 5.45 am. 

"We sent a paramedic in a rapid response car and an emergency ambulance to the scene, and one patient was taken to hospital," they told the BBC.

Before entering the castle last weekend, Richard Madeley had expressed his wishes to do the stomach-churning challenges. 

"I really hope I do get voted for the trials," he said. "The thing about this program is you mustn't go into it if you take yourself remotely seriously."