Fans of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! were puzzled when Alex Scott’s high-profile girlfriend, Jess Glynne, was nowhere to be seen at the iconic red bridge following her eviction from the jungle. The former England footballer, aged 41, became the first contestant voted off this year’s series, waving farewell to her fellow campmates last week. Instead of being greeted by the 36-year-old British pop sensation, Alex was met by her close friend Regan Coleman, leaving viewers speculating about the couple’s relationship.
Typically, eliminated stars linger in Australia for the grand finale and celebratory wrap party, but Alex made a beeline for the airport, jetting back to the UK without delay. Now, the emotional truth behind her hasty departure has come to light: a devastating family crisis that pulled her homeward.
The Football Focus host revealed she was racing back to support Jess after the singer’s mother, Alexandra, experienced a severe stroke requiring immediate brain surgery. Alex even considered abandoning the ITV reality show entirely to stand by her partner during this ordeal, but Jess encouraged her to persevere in honor of her mum.
Taking to social media, Alex shared a heartfelt post alongside a picture of her kissing Jess. She captioned it: “The jungle was the most incredible special experience, I will never forget!! Thank you to my wonderful camp mates who supported me everyday & saw the real me, not an edited version. Thank you to ITV for even getting me through this process & getting me back to Jessica to be by her side during what is a difficult time. We have both seen all the love and support and it means the world. The universe spoke and its getting me home asap and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.”
Jess, in turn, showed her pride by posting a photo of herself in a T-shirt emblazoned with Alex’s official I’m A Celeb image. She wrote: “Forever a winner! She walked in that jungle and was nothing but herself from start to finish. We see you, we saw you and we love you! I can’t wait to have you home my woman.”
Addressing the absence at the bridge, Jess opened up about the family emergency in an emotional Instagram statement: “I know people will wonder why I wasn’t there at the end of the bridge, so I wanted to share something personal. Over the last few weeks, my mum suffered a stroke and needed urgent brain surgery. It’s been a really serious, life-altering time for my family, and I’ve had to stay close to home. Alex would always want me to be where I’m needed most. I can’t wait to have her back by my side.”
In a post-eviction chat on the spin-off show Unpacked, Alex spoke candidly to hosts Joel Dommett and Kemi Rodgers about the challenging period. “It’s been a hard couple of months. Obviously it’s such an opportunity to even be asked to come on the show,” she said. “Jess was the first one… she was like, ‘I want you to go on the show and do it for my mum’. I knew there would be a chance she wouldn’t be at the end of the bridge. Straight away, when I walked over, I knew then things had got worse. I want to be here for the wrap party, but I have to get home straight away. She’s my Jessica, and I’m going home to be her rock, because she’s been my cheerleader all through this. My campmates knew what I was going through. I just want to thank everyone at ITV and my campmates because they’ve all shown me so much support.”