‘I never wanted to be stuck for money’: I’m A Celebrity’s Jess Eva talks about her humble beginnings and reveals she ‘grew up without electricity’
She’s a favourite on this year’s season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, but Jess Eva has worked hard to get to where she is.
In a sneak peek from Tuesday’s episode of the hit reality show, obtained by news.com.au, the 36-year-old radio host opened up about her modest upbringing.
Talking to co-star Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico, Jess revealed she’d had no electricity at home until she was 18.
Humble beginnings: She’s a favourite on this year’s season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, but Jess Eva has worked hard to get to where she is
She also said she never went on a school camp or attended her Year 12 formal, because her family couldn’t afford it.
Jess admitted that while most people find her upbringing ‘a bit unusual’, she still ‘had a great time’.
But she confessed that her family’s financial struggles provided her with the motivation she needed to pursue a successful media career.
From rags to riches: In a sneak peek from Tuesday’s episode of the hit reality show, obtained by news.com.au, the 36-year-old radio host opened up about her modest upbringing
‘I never wanted to be stuck for money,’ she admitted.
‘I saw how stressed it made Mum, I saw how stressed it made Dad. [I know] that if I can have a crack at stuff, then I can help my mum, I can help my brother.’
After pursuing a career in radio, Jess moved to the Maldives to host a show, before returning to Australia after suffering a monkey bite in India.
Blonde ambition: She confessed that her family’s financial struggles provided her with the motivation she needed to pursue a successful media career
She then landed a job at a radio station in Cairns, which is where she met her husband, Norm Hogan, who she’s been with for 10 years.
The couple appeared on The Block in 2018, and Jess now appears as a co-host on Triple M’s Moonman In the Morning breakfast show.
Speaking about her rise to success, Jess became emotional, and needed to be comforted by Dipper, 62.
Coupled up: Jess landed a job at a radio station in Cairns, which is where she met her husband, Norm Hogan (right), who she’s been with for 10 years. Pictured together on The Block
‘[The Block] was the moment that our lives changed… It’s amazing how if one person believes in you, it starts this ripple effect,’ she said on I’m A Celebrity.
‘I’d been working in radio for years, just begging for someone to believe in me… Someone believed in us, then it just started this ripple effect of Block then Triple M in Sydney.’
She added: ‘You just get so proud when your son brings home a letter and says I’m gonna go on this camp and I’m going to need 40 bucks… And that’s not even a question. It’s really nice to be able to go, ‘Sure son, here you go.”
Finding fame: The couple appeared on The Block in 2018, and Jess now appears as a co-host on Triple M’s Moonman In the Morning breakfast show