I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! could be a reality TV show too far for Gemma Collins after she fled a helicopter trip in tears before even entering the jungle and then begged producers for food.

The star, who found fame as a member of the cast of The Only Way Is Essex, joined broadcaster Michael Buerk, TV presenter Melanie Sykes, actress Vicki Michelle and ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard among the celebrities in the jungle.

But she was part of a group, including former World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty and Coronation Street's Craig Charles who were taken straight to a jungle jail while the other contestants enjoyed a night of luxury.

Collins suffered a panic attack and got out of the helicopter as it was about to take off, saying: "I got into the chopper and suddenly felt very scared but thought I can't show anyone I'm scared, but I cried like a baby and I don't think I'm going to be able to do this jungle lark."

The other group of celebrities were told they could rescue one of their campmates from the jail and Bullard convinced them to pick Fogarty, saying: "We need someone courageous. I'm starving. This geezer's done some serious stuff in his life."

The ex-champion did not disappoint as he won all six available meals in the first Bushtucker Trial of the series.

It was not easy though as he had to spend 12 minutes strapped to the bottom of a water drain with 40 frisky snakes slithering over him.

"I feel quite calm but - watch the wedding tackle, boys! Get out of my shorts, not there, you slime ... How many more can you get in here?" he cried as presenters Ant and Dec told him there would be a few more snakes joining him.

"I thought racing bikes was hard ... leave alone the wedding tackle," he pleaded again as another snake slid up his shorts.

After leaving the water drain victorious, he felt what appeared to be one last snake still wriggling in his pants.

He yelled: "There's one still in my friggin' shorts!"

But that did not help Collins, who was still stuck in jail and threatened to quit the show when she discovered no more food was coming for a couple of days.

She said: "I'm leaving. We're in the slammer and I need some decent food, I can't eat porridge ever again, I'm going to die.

"If they don't give us a treat, I'm going to kill myself. I'd give anything for a bit of dried fruit, I'm not even asking for a ham sandwich with a pack of Quavers on the side, just some dried fruit."