Nigel Farage's PR team mocked the proposed I'm A Celebrity boycott just an hour ahead of the ITV show's launch this evening.

Fans of the programme have been left outraged after it was revealed that the controversial politician is being paid a reported £1.5million for his stint in the jungle. Over the last few weeks, viewers have threatened to boycott the show after slamming the broadcaster for giving Farage a platform.

ITV responded to the backlash, saying in a statement: "I'm A Celebrity has always featured a diverse cast from all areas of public life and has a history of featuring political figures throughout its 20 years on screen. As with any camp mate, viewers are invited to form their own opinions when the show begins on Sunday."

However, Farage's team appear to have been brushing off the boycott, sharing a screengrab of the trending hashtags on X - formerly Twitter - and writing: "Good to see the boycott's going well then..."

It comes after fans let rip at Ant and Dec after they posted a photo of themselves with a pair of clocks, one showing Queensland time and the other UK. They wrote: "Let's get ready to jungle." However, the responses to the post were less than enthusiastic, with one commenting: "Not a chance." While another wrote simply: "Nope."

I'm A Celebrity kicked off its 23rd series with a bang this evening as 10 celebrities were launched into the Australian jungle to face their darkest fears - which, for some, included a fellow campmate. Joining the likes of Josie Gibson and Farage is maitre d' extraordinaire Fred Sirieix has already voiced his vehement dislike of online.

Meanwhile, Jamie Lynn Spears had already proved to be a bit of a headache for I'm A Celebrity bosses after refusing to take part in media chats prior to entering the jungle. While it is not required by their contract to speak to journalists ahead of starring on the ITV show, it is incredibly rare for a celebrity to not do so. A TV source told the Mirror: "It is disappointing Jamie Lynn wouldn't speak to journalists out in Australia. She kept her head down at Brisbane airport which is fair enough after a long flight, but it is highly unusual to not take part in the media chats whilst waiting to go into camp this week.

"In fact, it is almost unprecedented and even Boy George took part last year when he has rarely done interviews for a decade. The last contestant we can remember to refuse to do the pre show interviews was David Gest, and that was back in 2006. It is not a great sign if you are hoping Jamie Lynn is going to be hugely talkative on the show and give up lots of goss about Britney. Hopefully she finds her voice in camp."

Since it was announced that Jamie Lynn would be appearing on the show, Britney's fans have plotted to vote for her to take part in every Bushtucker Trial. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one person wrote: "Are we all in agreement - every trial needs to be Jamie, let's make her life hell!!" Another agreed: "Me voting for Jamie Lynn for every trial."

Tonight, Jamie Lynn joined JLS star Marvin Humes and Hollyoaks actor Nick Pickard as they skydived straight into the first Bushtucker trial, Temple of Doom. The trio were tasked with completing a series of challenges as creepy crawlies were dumped all over them in a bid to earn stars for camp.

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