KEZIA Dugdale may return from I’m a Celebrity to face Scottish Labour bosses sooner than previously thought after the show’s producers are said to be disappointed with her performance after reportedly agreeing to pay her close to £100,000.
The politician, who took an unauthorised leave of absence from her job as a Labour MSP to head to Australia, has moaned about other contestants not doing the dishes, given up on challenges and not mixed well with her fellow campers.
She’s also failed to spark any political debate in camp even though she is appearing alongside Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s father Stanley, an arch Tory.
Fans have branded Dugdale “boring” and with members of the public due to start voting off their least favourite of the 11 contestants within the next week or so, the Labour MSP is a likely contender for an early exit.
“Kezia has been a massive let-down,” a show insider told one newspaper. “She hasn’t bonded particularly well with other camp-mates and doesn’t see herself as part of that showbiz world – she has been acting superior. Far from coming out of her shell, she hasn’t broken from her politician mode once or shown a softer side, letting her personality come through.”
The politician joined the show a few days in, alongside broadcaster Iain Lee. On entering, she went head-to-head with the TV presenter to become “prime minister of the jungle” but failed.
She faced Lee again in the live Bushtucker Trial on Sunday night and was beaten as he necked pints of blended bull penis and pig anus while she did little more than watch.
“Bosses were also ticked off with the live trial – they thought she was a bad sport,” said the insider.
After the smoothie challenge, show host Ant McParlin said: “I have to say Kez gave up there. She gave up. She didn’t even try. She’s only got herself to blame.”
And the show’s trials producer Ben Aston agreed, saying: “We started planning these trials in April. Kez was a bit of a let-down. She only had a little sip.”
Dugdale defended abandoning her constituents and parliamentary duties to say the show was a platform to talk about politics and Labour values and show a human side to politicians.
She has donated £2500 of her MSP’s salary to the Rock Trust, an Edinburgh-based charity which supports young homeless people, and will also donate a part of her appearance fee to the same charity.
Kate Polson, chief executive of the Rock Trust, last night told The National she did not yet know what proportion of Dugdale’s appearance fee the charity would get.
But she added that the charity appreciated the support they were getting from the MSP.
Her appearance has come in for criticism from Labour, SNP and Scottish Greens politicians while dividing her party.
Labour MSP Neil Findlay has described her decision to go on the show as ludicrous, while the SNP MSP Ivan McKee has said it devalues the work of the Scottish Parliament and MSPs.
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said she should not be suspended, while newly elected Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has said she will be interviewed by party bosses when she turns.
It was originally expected she would be in the Jungle for up to three weeks.
The announcement that she was to appear on the show, filmed in Australia, completely overshadowed the announcement of the new Scottish Labour leader, and forced Leonard to spend his first few days in the post fielding questions from journalists about his predecessor. However, support for Dugdale has come from her partner, SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth, and Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton.
The LibDem last week tweeted: “I’m actually enjoying this after a 12-year break #ImACeleb2017 so I’m going to nail colours to the mast. She’s my mate and my colleague, I’m deffo #TeamKez I’m hooked. #SORRYNOTSORRY.”
Dugdale’s former communcations chief Alan Roden is another supporter and has flown out to Australia to greet her when she leaves the show. Roden has said she should do well because of her strong leadership skills.
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