GK Barry will bank £5m in two years & could be the next Stacey Dooley – she’ll be the breakout star of I’m A Celeb
SHE’S been getting stuck into jungle life – and it’s definitely paying off for GK Barry!
The I’m A Celebrity star – whose real name is Grace Keeling – rose to fame in 2020, when she started posting funny videos on TikTok, surpassing a million followers just a year later.
Popular with Gen Z, GK, 25, launched her podcast Saving Grace in 2022, and then made history as the youngest ever Loose Women panellist earlier this year.
And she’s since become a fan favourite on I’m A Celebrity, despite being one of the lesser known stars beforehand. She has now amassed the most new Instagram followers among all her campmates.
In the first episode, she was seen screaming as she put her hand into a hole filled with cockroaches, shouting: “I hate this show!”
But she’s powered through when she’s been forced to do Bushtucker Trials.
To viewers’ shock, Grace even managed to get nine out of ten stars in Vile Volcano, which saw her face rats, spiders, snakes and many other creepy crawlies, simply by telling herself to “grow up”.
And now she’s set to become a multi-millionaire after the show, thanks to her witty one-liners and down-to-earth nature.
“I’m A Celebrity is going to be fantastic for GK,” says brand and culture expert Nick Ede. “I think she could earn up to £5 million in the next couple of years.
“She’s going to be a big earner!”
Unlikely friendship
GK’s unlikely friendship with Reverend Richard Coles has become one of the most heartwarming parts of this year’s I’m A Celeb, thanks to their funny banter and open conversations.
GK admitted in the Bush Telegraph: “I came into this jungle, maybe not knowing who I would gel with or who I would be close with in here and never in a million years if you told me that I would be getting on best with a reverend would I have believed you.
“But, he is honestly… I think he might be my favourite person in here.”
She’s been having very open conversations with all her campmates, but especially him.
Earlier this week, she opened up to the reverend about her sexuality – having previously ended her relationship with boyfriend Billy Hunt and embarked on a new romance with girlfriend Ella Rutherford.
“The thought of sleeping with a man again makes me want to claw my skin off,” she told Richard.
“And I always thought, why do I always lay there with the lights off and top on waiting for it to be over?
“[It’s] because I like women. It makes a lot of sense, took me 25 years but that’s where we are.”
The reverend – who is gay – revealed his coming out story to Grace in return.
Documentaries to come
And Nick believes this frank and inquisitive nature is what’s going to get GK offers coming in from ITV for investigative documentaries.
He says: “She’s very down-to-earth. She’s getting on with everybody, she’s doing what she can.
“She also talks about her pasty skin and her lanky looks, which is really refreshing, and the conversations that she’s having with people like Tulisa and Coleen Rooney are really great.
“She asks questions, which is something that a lot of celebrities don’t do, and she definitely does.
She also talks about her pasty skin and her lanky looks, which is really refreshing.
Nick Ede
“This show is going to be fantastic for her. She’s obviously got the backing of Loose Women and she’s a bit of a breath of fresh air, so I think that’s quite interesting
“I think this is opening her up to a much bigger audience than she gets on the podcast, and even on Loose Women.”
‘Inquisitive’
On her Saving Grace podcast, Grace invites celebrities and influencers to open up about their lives and experiences.
The podcast has been a massive hit and has featured stars including Allison Hammond, Maddison Beer and Rob Beckett.
And she’s not scared of talking about controversial topics either, as she interviewed Bonnie Blue – an OnlyFans creator who famously bedded 100 men in a single day.
Nick thinks she’ll continue doing this, following in the footsteps of Stacey Dooley, Olivia Attwood and Zara McDermott – rather than go down the fashion brand route.
He says: “I don’t see her doing big fashion brands or those kinds of collaborations. I feel that she’s probably going to go more down the documentary route, especially because of the podcast as well, which is about people and human interest.
“She’s quite inquisitive, she’s down-to-earth, she’s relatable and I think that could do her well for the future.
“I think she’s got the potential to be a bit of a Stacey Dooley and do that investigative journalist thing, like Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over.
“Obviously, Stacey has now done so well and won Strictly so, I think there’s a real opportunity for her to follow in those footsteps, a bit like Zara McDermott.
“She could even be the next Louis Theroux, who knows?”
‘Spin-off shows’
Olivia Attwood and Stacey Solomon are two other Loose Women who got the jobs after they’d been on I’m A Celebrity – despite the fact Olivia was forced to quit the jungle after just 48 hours.
The former Love Island star and X Factor finalist have gone on to be some of the biggest names on ITV – and Grace could be headed the same way.
“I’m thinking Olivia Atwood vibes for her, with the idea she will go into people’s lives and disrupt them in some ways and ask really strong questions,” Nick says. “I can see her doing as well as Olivia and I’m sure she’ll get a spin-off show of her own, or ITV will be looking at doing a series with her, because she’s very, very popular.
“I can see her being put on Loose Women more often, and becoming a bit more of a staple figure on that.
“And what’s good about that is she’s obviously younger so she’s bringing a whole new demographic to watch the show and a whole new mentality to that as well.”
He adds: “Stacey Solomon, who obviously won the jungle crown, has done so well from it and that really turned around her whole career.
“I can see her following those footsteps, because she is this down-to-earth girl-next-door that people are really liking.”
I'm A Celebrity 2024
i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year..
Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.
GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.
Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”