Voices: Is this the most misogynistic I’m A Celeb yet?

If you want to win at reality TV, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, you need to be amenable. It doesn’t matter so much if you’ve broken laws that have put the nation in danger, or earned a reputation for espousing homophobic and xenophobic language. Nor does it matter if you insult or offend anyone on the show. It doesn’t even really matter how you look. The only caveat is that you have to be a man.

This seems to be the takeaway from I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here: it’s all fun and games, regardless of what you say or who you are… so long as you’re male. Make the mistake of being a woman, however, and things won’t be quite so simple. Last year, we saw none other than former health secretary Matt Hancock enter the jungle. You know, the man who was caught breaking the social distancing rules he had imposed while the world was in lockdown by, erm, cheating on his wife with a married colleague. You’ve all seen the video, so I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of all that bum-grabbing.

But, because he’s a man, he was given an opportunity at redemption. A chance to show the nation that he’s not just a malignant scoundrel. He’s just a normal, albeit slightly weird, dude. Clearly, that’s what the public thought: he finished the series in third place.

We saw something similar with comedian Seann Walsh, who was embroiled in a nationwide scandal in 2018 when he was pictured cheating on his long-term girlfriend, actor Rebecca Humphries, with Katya Jones, his married dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing. On the show, Walsh was given the opportunity to redeem himself, discussing how the saga hurt his own career despite the fact that Humphries has accused him of emotional and psychological abuse in Why Didn’t You Stay?, her bestselling book. Fifth place.

Perhaps we’d all hoped things might be different this time around. But those hopes quickly dissipated as soon as it was confirmed that Farage, whose rumoured salary is £1.5m, would be taking part. The former Ukip leader’s alarming position on immigration is well-documented. But did you also know that in 2014 he claimed women are paid less than men because they are generally “worth less”? How about when he said that women who are breastfeeding should “sit in the corner”?

All this has set the precedent for the series so far, which has already seen two female contestants depart early: writer and broadcaster Grace Dent, and actor Jamie Lynn Spears (aka Britney Spears’ younger sister). As of yet, the reasons for their exits remain unclear; both cited medical grounds. “I’ve had enough”, Dent told fellow campmate Josie Gibson shortly before her departure.

As for the remaining women on the show, things aren’t exactly looking great. Consider the opprobrium surrounding YouTuber Nella Rose, 26, who has faced a major backlash following an altercation with First Dates host Fred Sirieix, 51, after he said he was old enough to be Rose’s father. The comment came after a personal confession from Rose in which she divulged that her father had died; she took offence to Sirieix’s remark and later said in a piece to camera that she felt disrespected.

The response sparked outrage online, with many criticising Rose and labelling her oversensitive. Even Moonpig joined in, producing a birthday card with a cartoon of Rose’s face on it alongside the words, “I’m really offended that it is your birthday.”

Sadly, this is just the latest indictment in a litany of others that puts women who go on reality TV at a disadvantage. It’s not hard to see how this unfolds on other shows: just look at the relentless s***-shaming women have faced on Love Island, for example.

The brutal truth is that women are not granted the same benefit of the doubt as men. Of all the things Farage has said and done, why is it that a woman – particularly a Black woman – is the one people whose behaviour people are so set on criticising?

It’s misogyny, and misogynoir, at its most brazen. A man can be xenophobic, sexist, homophobic, adulterous and abusive and we’ll still give him a second chance. A woman merely gets offended at something, and is instantly turned into a joke. Sadly, we’ve seen it before. But what’s even sadder, is that I highly suspect we’ll see it again.