UK star Joey Essex was the first of a multitude of surprises in store for the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia contestants this year.
Prior to Joey’s arrival in the jungle, fans of the show were convinced Geordie Shore‘s Gaz Beadle would be dropping into the jungle after host Chris Brown teased that an “international naughty boy” would appear.
However, The Only Way Is Essex star wasn’t just a pleasant surprise when he appeared on our screens. In fact, his arrival was such a shock that it left quite a few Aussies questioning who TF the 31-year-old Brit is.
“Absolutely no clue who Joey Essex is,” one viewer divulged on Twitter.
Another questioned: “Who the heck is Joey Essex?”
If you’re one of the many, many fans of I’m A Celeb who are still in the dark about the “UK’s most iconic himbo”, keep scrolling for everything you need to know about Joey Essex.
Joey Essex Has Appeared On Multiple Reality TV Shows
Joey rose to prominence in 2011 when he first appeared on The Only Way Is Essex (AKA TOWIE) before forging a career in the reality sphere.
Since then, the Brit has appeared on Splash!, where celebrities learn how to be professional divers, as well as The Jump, where he similarly trained in Winter Olympic sports.
Joey has also appeared on a number of celebrity iterations of popular reality shows including Celebrity MasterChef, Celebrity Ex on the Beach, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, and Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia Isn’t His First Time In The Jungle
While it may be his first time in the I‘m A Celebrity AU jungle, Joey previously appeared on the UK version!
Yep, he camped under the stars on I’m A Celebrity UK back in 2013 during the hit show’s 13th season and finished up in fourth place!
Joey Essex’s Child Bereavement Advocacy
**Content warning: The following discusses suicide and may be distressing to some readers.
Having tragically lost his mother to suicide at the age of ten, Joey has spent much of his career dedicating his time to child bereavement organisations.
His stint on I‘m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia is a bid to win $100,000 for Feel The Magic Australia, a foundation dedicated to supporting children dealing with loss. He has also been an ambassador for Child Bereavement UK since 2014.
In 2021, Joey released his self-titled TV documentary Joey Essex: Grief and Me, in which he details his experience in overcoming the loss of his mother 20 years prior.
Who Is Joey Essex Dating?
While he might be hitting it off with his I’m A Celebrity campmate Maria Thattil on-screen, Joey has more than dipped his toe in the reality TV dating pool in the past.
Joey and his TOWIE bae Sam Faiers dated during their time on the show before famously splitting on-screen in 2013.
Since then, he has been linked to Ex on The Beach‘s Lorena Medina, Love Island UK‘s Ellie Brown and Stephanie Pratt from Made in Chelsea.
Ellie Brown. 
Lorena Medina. 
Stephanie Pratt.
Apparently, the TV beau also shared a pretty saucy night with singer Rita Ora, too!
You can catch Joey Essex on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia, now airing on Channel Ten.
Know something that we don’t? Spill the tea here!
Get the tea first! Follow So Dramatic! on Instagram and tune in on Mondays to get your reality tea fix with the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto.
