Freddie Starr taken to hospital after I’m A Celebrity ‘greasy spoon’ challenge

The funnyman had to be seen by medics and was taken out of the camp for assessment but is said to be in “good spirits”.

Starr, 68, had already been late arriving in the camp after a paperwork problem as a result of a heart attack.

It is thought he became ill after taking part in a bushtucker trial called “greasy spoon”.

A spokesman for the ITV1 show said: “Freddie Starr was taken unwell in the jungle.

“He was immediately attended to by onsite medics and taken to hospital where he was assessed by doctors. He will remain in hospital overnight as a precaution and further tests continue.”

The spokesman added: “Freddie is in great spirits and keeping nursing staff entertained.”

Starr was chosen by viewers to take part in the trial with former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright.

He had already struggled with an earlier challenge in which he had to dip his face into a tank of mealworms for a task called “scales of justice”.

Starr’s poor performance in collecting stars from the box of grubs meant his entire team - including actress Stefanie Powers - was dumped into a tank of fish guts.

The comic appeared visibly upset that he had let down his team mates, in footage screened during last night’s show.

Starr was taken ill two hours after taking part in the greasy spoon trial, which involved tucking in to a selection of creepy crawlies.

He has undergone heart surgery in recent years.

The Liverpool-born comedian is renowned for the newspaper headline “Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster”, but, speaking before entering the jungle, he said he had not actually eaten the creature in question.