A former I'm A Celebrity contestant has revealed why he turned down Strictly Come Dancing.

James Haskell, 39, said he rejected the chance to appear on the dancing show due to the infamous 'Strictly curse' in order to save his marriage to Chloe Madeley.

The former rugby player, who took part in I'm A Celeb in 2019, said he 'didn't think it was a good idea at the time, trying to pretend to be sexy with someone for 12 hours a day, every day'.

He added: "I think it would’ve been a disaster."

(Image: Radio Times)

Instead, Mr Haskell opted for the jungle, and he has now shared his experiences to help this year's contestants.

Speaking to Spin Genie, Mr Haskell admitted that it can get quite tense in the camp, especially when everyone gets hungry.

He said: "You’re starved and you don’t realise how much until you’re actually in there.

"The food you get is almost one quarter of what you think you're going to get, and that will take its toll after a period of time."

He also had some practical advice for this year's contestants.

Mr Haskell said: "I just said that you've got to remember that you're on a TV show and that you signed up for it and you have no say on how you're portrayed so just enjoy it.

"You've just got to be very practical and chill as everybody deals with tiredness, hunger, stress and missing family in different ways."

He also advised contestants to avoid any controversial topics of conversation, saying 'nothing good is going to come of this'.

Mr Haskell said: "Just avoid those things, keep yourself busy with chores, offer support and do everything you can do to keep busy.

"And that's the best way of doing it, because you'll have a much better experience if you just take one day at a time.

"Otherwise, you start getting caught up in other people's drama.

"You're there to do a show for entertainment."

Despite not winning his series, Mr Haskell said it was a 'super positive experience'.

He also shared his predictions for this year's winner.

He said: "It’s going to be an interesting one.

"I like Barry McGuigan, I know him and he’s a really interesting character.

"He’s obviously a fantastic boxer but he’s a really salt of the earth kind of guy.

"He has the discipline to win it but he’s also really fun and I can’t wait to see him."

The new series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here started on Sunday, November 17, on ITV1.