Nigel Havers Calls 'I'm a Celebrity' Appearance a 'Terrible Error,' Wanted to 'Murder' Co-Star
The veteran actor expressed deep regret over his participation in the reality show, citing a co-star's behavior as a primary reason for his early exit.
Actor Nigel Havers has described his appearance on the reality television show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" as a "terrible error," revealing that he contemplated extreme actions against a fellow contestant. Havers, 74, who is known for his role as conman Lewis Archer in "Coronation Street," participated in the show in 2010 alongside former politician Lembit Opik, 61. Havers ultimately quit the program after only nine days.
Reflecting on his brief stint in the Australian jungle, Havers shared on Saga's "Experience is Everything" podcast that he mistakenly agreed to the show without having seen it. "It turned out that it was a stupid thing to do," he stated.
During his time on the program, Havers found Opik to be "incredibly irritating," frequently discussing what Havers perceived as "rubbish" in the camp. "I wanted to kill someone in the camp. And I got to the stage when I would have killed him," Havers recalled. He further explained his decision to leave, saying, "I would sleep at night working up ways to kill him. And then I thought I’d end up in court on a murder charge, and I couldn’t really say, 'Look, it wasn’t me', because there are 38 cameras on you, so I had to get the hell out of there."
Havers noted that not all of his campmates were a source of frustration, singling out musician Shaun Ryder as someone he "really liked" and who "saved my life for a bit."
Havers' departure from the show occurred hours after he voiced complaints to producers about the treatment of contestants. He was particularly vocal in his objection to a "Kangaroo Court" task that involved electric shocks for failed challenges. "I'm not up for it, I don't do electric shocks so I'm leaving. I cannot waste another second of my life," he stated during the task. He also cited a desire not to have his wife see him in such a situation.
Additionally, Havers expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived lack of intelligent conversation among the cast members, describing many discussions as "inane."