I’m A Celebrity’s Aitch almost quit ITV show as he breaks silence on Shona McGarty romance

The rapper has spoken out about his struggles in the jungle as he missd out on a place in the ITV reality show’s final

Aitch on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)

Aitch has revealed that he considered quitting I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here as he spoke out about his time in the jungle – including hopes of a romance with co-star Shona McGarty.

The rapper, who hails from Moston, left viewers of the ITV reality show shocked as he became the ninth campmate to leave the camp on Saturday night (December 6), despite being tipped as a finalist or even this year’s King of the Jungle.

His exit means the three finalists for I’m A Celeb’s 2025 series are former EastEnders actress Shona McGarty, Celebs Go Dating receptionist Tom Read Wilson, and social media star Morgan Burtwistle, also known as Angry Ginge.

During his exit interview, Aitch, real name Harrison Armstrong, told the show’s presenters Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly: “I’m not going to lie to you, I’m absolutely over the moon, over the moon.

“And I’m not just saying it being cheesy, them three in there are just mega. And this morning I woke up and I didn’t care whether I was winning, Ginge was winning, Shona was winning, Tom was winning.”

Now, Aitch has revealed how things could have been very different as he considered quitting the jungle half way through. Speaking following his eviction, the star told how he was “dying to do a runner” on a couple of occasions.

He added to the Mirror: “There was a certain day where I thought to myself, “I need to go in this Bush Telegraph now and say, ‘Please, someone come and save me. I need to go.'”

Aitch was the ninth celebrity to leave the jungle(Image: James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock)

He explained how he struggled without any time to himself and the constant 24/7 nature of the show. The 25-year-old said: “It’s weird because you want to go off and have your little moment to yourself. But then when you go and do that, you clock that there’s cameras around, and then you start tripping, thinking, ‘Oh, I don’t want to look like I’m having this alone moment for the camera.’

“So then you’re turning around, going back to the camp, but you’re not ready to be surrounded by 12 people yet. So it gets a lot.” He said he struggled “somewhere in the middle” of the series.

The Taste and Rain hitmaker continued: “The middle for me was the lowest part, because you’re stuck in a position where it’s like, ‘You’ve come too far to give up now, but there’s still ages to go.’

“At the start you can’t give up because you’re thinking, ‘I’ve only been here for five days. Sort your head out.’ And then at the end, you’re thinking, ‘Oh well, there’s only five days to go, so suck it up and go for it.’ But in that middle point, you’re like, “Whoa, I’ve been here for ages, and I’ve still got to be here for ages.”

Meanwhile, Aitch was also quizzed on a possible romance with Shona, which was sparked after he admitted he had a ‘soft spot’ for the actress and singer early into the series.

Shona and Aitch sparked ‘romance’ hopes while in the jungle(Image: ITV)

Speaking after leaving the jungle, he said they bonded over music – but were just friends. “Obviously, I’ve not watched the show, so I don’t know what’s been put out there in any way or anything. But it was nothing like that,” Aitch said.

He said that Shona and him were “cut from the same cloth” and have the “same sense of humour”. He added: “Knowing that she’s trying to come out of the jungle and pursue this music career – and me having a music career – it was just more like, there’s only really me and Martin she can speak to about certain things.

“And I think just because of my age, no one’s going to say that she had a romance with Martin. So unfortunately, I’m the next option. So romantic? No, not at all. Not at all.”

Aitch also said he was willing to introduce her to some of his contacts in the music industry. He added: “Yes I definitely will. And that was what most of the conversations were about. I said to her: ‘You sing like a madwoman like, in a good way…..you need to go pursue it. Stop being so scared to pursue it.’

“Because at the start she was singing, and when she finished the song, she just put her hands over her face as if she got embarrassed. And I’m like, ‘You don’t need to get embarrassed. Everyone’s in awe of you when you’re singing.’”