I’m A Celebrity SPOILER: Ruthie Henshall and Russell Watson get covered in rotten food

Ruthie Henshall and Russell Watson are thrown in at the deep end as they make their debut on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here on Wednesday night.

The opera singer and musical theatre star are the two new campmates for the 2020 series, but meet their co-stars for the first time during a dreaded Bushtucker Trial.

The duo are dressed as court jesters for the Stage Fright trial, and in a sneak peek clip, are covered in rotten food as they try to win food for camp.

Ruthie and Russell, both 53, are being watched by their fellow campmates, with hosts Ant and Dec asking trial veteran Jordan North if he has any words of advice for the new recruits.

‘Try not to overthink it and just go to your happy place,’ the Radio 1 DJ tells them, prompting laughter from the hosts.

The aim of the game is to complete the punchline to castle-themed jokes, with Ruthie locked in the stocks and being pelted with all manner of nasties as she reads the first half of the pun to her campmates.

First up is rotten tomatoes which cover the stage star. Russell is then tasked with bobbing for the punchline in barrels of slime. 

Ruthie and Russell’s dramatic initiation will be shown in full on Wednesday night’s episode, after their arrival was teased at the end of Tuesday’s show. 

Olivier award-winning Ruthie revealed ahead of her debut that she wouldn’t be scared of any spooky-themed trials because she once had a prank played on her by the Royal family.

She dated Prince Edward on and off for five years when she was younger and remains good friends with him, even attending his wedding to Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

She explained how she was with the royals in Scotland when she, ‘got jumped out on by Charles and Edward when I was having a cook out with them!’

She recalled: ‘They told me there were ghosts in this particular place and when I went to the toilet with a candle – as there was no electricity – they waited for me to come out and then jumped out on me!

‘I screamed the place down! I may well have woken Victoria! They were hilarious!’

Adding she has visited some of the Royal’s palaces in the past, she said: ‘I visited a couple of their castles but this will be a very different kind of castle!’

Of taking part in the show, she went on: ‘I am really looking forward to going in. I have been doing the same thing, which I adore, for 35 years and now I want to shake my life up a bit!

‘I have also got two teenagers and I can’t wait to get away from them! What’s worse – living with two teenagers or going in a castle – thank you very much, I will take the castle!’

Former I’m A Celebrity star John Barrowman persuaded her to do the programme, she revealed.

‘John was the one who told me I should go in and so he is to blame whether it is good or bad!’

The stage actress says she’d love to win and as a single mum, she laughs as she reveals she won’t rule romance out either.

‘It would be lovely to win as then you would feel you had got through it all and risen to every challenge,’ she said. ‘And whilst [romance] is the last thing I am thinking about, if there was somebody rather lovely and delicious to look at around my age who was single as well, then that would make it all the more lovely!’

Russell, who is the exact same age as Ruthie, is taken, however.

Ahead of his appearance, the married star said: ‘My wife was very sceptical at first and I think she is still a little bit nervous. I will miss [her and our two kids] lots.’

Whilst Russell has been lucky enough to perform in front of a lot of beautiful historical places around the world over the years, it will be the first time he has lived in a castle.

‘I have performed at a few castles but I have never lived in one,’ he said. ‘And I am definitely one for my creature comforts too. I do like a coffee in the morning!’

He added: ‘I think people often view classical singers as being a bit snooty, posh and unapproachable. And I think I will 100 per cent dispel that myth!’

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! airs at 9PM on ITV.