I’m A Celeb star Alan Halsall reveals he broke down in tears on phone to his daughter after his eviction
I’M A Celeb’s Alan Halsall has revealed he sobbed uncontrollably while speaking to his daughter for the first time in four weeks after his jungle eviction.
The Corrie actor could not hold back the tears when he video-called 11-year-old Sienna as soon as he left camp on Friday night.
Alan, 42, had sent a signal to his girl everyday to let her know he was thinking of her — by forming a heart-shaped symbol with his hands during votes.
He opened up about his unbreakable bond with Sienna in an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday hours after leaving the Aussie camp, where he was met by brother Stephen.
Man United fan Alan also told us he would love to go for a beer with Wayne Rooney after befriending the ex-player’s wife Coleen — whom he reckons would make a good Corrie actress.
Speaking about his call with Sienna, Alan said: “As soon as we got in the car, my brother had his phone out and we FaceTimed.
“The first ten minutes of the phone call was not much but tears, to be honest — on both sides.
“She’d cry and I’d be crying.
“She said that she’s missed me, she loves me, she’s proud of me.
“When she says that she’s proud of me, it could literally make your heart burst.
“That was a super, super-emotional phone call.”
Before he left England for Oz on November 9, Sienna gave Alan a friendship bracelet to wear and a coin which said: “Remember I love you, Dad.”
Single dad Alan said: “It just put her first and foremost in my mind, you see, and she always is.”
Referring to his heart symbol, Alan said he initially could not do it how Sienna had told him to — but he added: “I was under strict instructions that it had to be all fingers together.
“I just wanted her to know that she was always on my mind.”
Alan shares Sienna with his actress ex-wife Lucy-Jo Hudson, 41 — whom he met while they were both in the Corrie cast.
And he went on: “Because you’ve got time on your hands, no distractions, no phones, no televisions, your mind wanders to those that you love.
“And, of course, my mind just immediately went to Sienna everyday.
“Once I woke up, I spent about half an hour, maybe 40 minutes, in bed.
“That was the time where I’d be like, ‘Wow, I miss Sienna’.
“But it was more, ‘I wonder what she’s up to today.
“I wonder if she’s at school today, or has she been watching the show?
“Is she happy seeing Daddy do these silly things?’
“Just knowing that she’s happy and proud of Dad, that was the biggest thing for me, for sure.”
Mancunian Alan, who plays Corronation Street’s Tyrone Dobbs, became good pals with Coleen, 38, while in camp.
In one moment in last Monday’s show, the pair bagged ten stars in a grim Bushtucker Trial — but fibbed to their campmates and told them they had won only two.
They then kept up the charade all day, right up until they were about to get their food bag for their dinner.
Prankster Alan came up with the idea and was then impressed by Coleen’s acting skills, saying: “I mentioned it to Coleen and I was a bit unsure if she would want to do that.
“And she was like, let’s do it.
“She walked in and she was like, ‘We only got two’.
“And I was like, ‘Hey, I’m the actor here!’.
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.”
“We managed to drag it out. Coleen was fantastic, a proper leading actress.
“I believed Coleen — and I was in on the joke.
“She was absolutely fantastic as an actress.
“I said, ‘I think she could be a barmaid of the Rovers Return’.
“She was absolutely brilliant.”
Alan said he would be staying in touch with all 11 of his new celeb pals, including Coleen, who revealed she and Wayne, 39, had “a few bars” at their £20million Cheshire mansion.
Would he like to hit up one of their boozers with Coleen and her Red Devils hero hubby?
She said that she’s missed me, she loves me, she’s proud of me
“Listen, if Wayne fancies a beer, I’ll go and have a beer, no problem,” Alan said.
“Wherever we’re going to meet up, we’re going to have fun and we’ll reminisce about an experience that we’ve all shared together.
‘HANDYMAN SKILLS’
“I’ll look forward to that from now on.”
Despite his love for Wazza, Alan said he never once asked Coleen about him — instead chatting away over parenthood and their children.
Alan, the joker of the jungle, was in good form when we met him yesterday in Surfers Paradise, Australia.
He was chirpy as he reeled off stories from his time Down Under — including how he saved the camp from flooding by using his handyman skills which his campmates loved him for.
The camp has been battered by relentless storms in what has been the wettest I’m a Celeb in the ITV1 show’s 22-year history.
Last weekend, the weather got so bad that bosses drew up emergency plans to evacuate the camp if the weather worsened.
But Alan said: “So I just kind of dug out a trench to re-divert the water so it didn’t put out the fire.”
Sun columnist Jane Moore, 62, and former world champion boxer Barry McGuigan, 63, both praised Alan for his handyman skills after they were evicted.
When he leaves behind the 30C Australian sunshine for the colder climes of Manchester, Alan will be putting on his Christmas PJs and putting up a tree with Sienna.
But before then, he has got some golf to play and some celebrating to do — both for his jungle stint and signing a Corrie contract extension taking him through his 27th year on the cobbles.
He said: “I’ll maybe have a couple of pints of Guinness to toast it.”
NEW DEAL ON CORRIE
ALAN Halsall has spoken of his new Coronation Street contract — after bosses offered him the deal before he went into the I’m A Celebrity jungle.
The star, who plays Tyrone Dobbs on the ITV soap, said: “I’ve spoken a lot in camp of how humbling it is to be a very small part of Coronation Street.
“I’m thrilled. That’s the job I love, so long may it continue.
“I’ll maybe have a couple of pints of Guinness to toast it.”