Tulisa breaks silence on ITV I’m A Celebrity finale absence after fleeing Australia following jungle exit
Tulisa Contostavlos has broken her silence after flying home early from Australia ahead of the I’m A Celebrity final in an Instagram post addressed to her Campmates.
The former N-Dubz singer, 36, shared a heartfelt message alongside photos from her time in the jungle.
“Looking back at some of my favourite moments from the @Imacelebrity jungle,” she wrote.
“Thank you to @itv for the experience and sending so much love to my Jungle Fam before the final tonight. Sorry I can’t be there to celebrate with you all.”
The 36-year-old was the third celebrity to leave the jungle camp last week.
Unlike her fellow contestants, Contostavlos made the decision to return directly to Manchester rather than remain in Australia until after tonight’s final.
Her departure raised questions when she appeared to remove all I’m A Celebrity content from her social media accounts.
Contostavlos also notably did not appear on the ITV spin-off show following her elimination.
Her management later addressed her sudden disappearance, with a source explaining: “The truth of the matter is that Tulisa was struggling with her mental health, which is what she told fans. She wanted to be back at home, with her close friends and home comforts.”
The decision for her early return was made after a meeting with ITV producers.
Contostavlos’s spokesperson firmly denied reports of a rift with her best friend Michelle McKenna, who had accompanied her back to London.
“There has been absolutely no fall out between Tulisa and her best friend Michelle. They haven’t argued once since Tulisa left the jungle,” the spokesperson told The Sun.
They added that the story had been “completely fabricated” and wasn’t presented to Contostavlos’ team for comment before publication.
ITV has offered the 36-year-old a full duty of care package following her departure.
“The decision for Tulisa to return home to the UK was agreed to by the production for welfare reasons,” her spokesperson confirmed.
Some of Contostavlos former Campmates were quick to show their support on her Instagram post.
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Second to leave Dean McCullough responded warmly, writing: “We love you. You are with us in spirit my babe and can’t wait to see you when we get home.”
Love Island star Maura Higgins, who was sixth to leave the jungle, also shared her affection, commenting: “Miss you wanna squeeze you love you.”
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse, who was the ninth Campmate to go, showed her support by posting red heart emojis in the comments section.
The I’m A Celebrity finale airs tonight, with either Coleen Rooney, Reverend Richard Coles or Danny Jones set to be crowned the winner of the 2024 series.