Ofcom probe into I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here over Charlie Brooks daughter stunt

By SHERNA NOAH
Published on 18/12/2012 00:00

Ofcom has launched an investigation into I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! after the ITV1 show involved the young daughter of EastEnders star Charlie Brooks in a stunt.

The actress, who was later crowned queen of the jungle, was left heartbroken when she and her seven-year-old daughter missed out on seeing each other in a trial.

Brooks, 31, who plays Janine in the BBC1 soap, and darts ace Eric Bristow had to choose from a selection of doors that had treats behind them in this year’s series of the jungle show.

The actress did not know that Kiki, who had not seen her mother for 18 days, was behind one of the doors in the challenge and missed out on the reunion after picking the wrong door.

Brooks later criticised the stunt and said it had been “heartbreaking”.

“I signed up for this show, but Kiki didn’t. I didn’t want her to be so upset. I had no idea this was happening. It was my lowest point,” she said.

“My mum gave the green light for her to be there, because it was an opportunity for Kiki to see me – and I think she thought she would.”

Viewers also complained, while campaign group Parents Outloud said: “To involve a seven-year-old is sinking to the bottom.”

But a spokesman for the show said at the time that a senior producer had seen “Kiki afterwards and she was fine”, adding: “Kiki and her grandma come to the jungle every day with the other friends and family, so the experience wasn’t as out of the ordinary as it might look.”