Former EastEnders Star Shona McGarty Joins I'm A Celebrity Lineup

In November 2025, former EastEnders star Shona McGarty is preparing to enter the I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! jungle. The 34-year-old actress, who played the role of Whitney Dean on the BBC soap for 16 years, is eager to show viewers her true self, which she feels has been overshadowed by her on-screen character.

Shona is not the only soap star joining the I'm A Celeb lineup this year. She will be joined by fellow EastEnders alum Martin Kemp, who played Steve Owen, as well as Lisa Riley, who is taking a break from her role as Mandy Dingle on Emmerdale.

Shona, who left EastEnders in May 2024, is excited about the opportunity to explore new avenues in the industry. She explains, "I had to put on my big girl pants and be quite brave, because life is so short, and you feel that more and more as you get older. There are other opportunities and areas of the industry I want to explore before I get too old!"

The actress is hopeful that her time on I'm A Celeb will allow her to shed the image of her iconic character, Whitney Dean. "Everyone expects me to wear massive gold hoop earrings and have a ponytail whilst eating chicken nuggets!" she says. "But I am nothing like that. I'm looking forward to using this experience to be completely myself, which nobody has seen."