Terrifying reason Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters is much riskier than I'm A Celeb
McFly star Poynter was crowned King of the Jungle in 2011, but confessed that although he may have looked brave facing down snakes, rats and bugs, the experience was very tame compared to his latest ITV show where he swims with sharks.
He appeared on Lorraine on Thursday, 10 July along with fellow contestant Ross Noble to talk about the terror of getting into the water with sharks and why he had found I'm A Celebrity so much easier.
King of the Jungle Poynter might seem like he's used to braving close encounters with wildlife after winning I'm A Celebrity, but he has said there was "no comparison" between the reality TV show and his latest series, Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, when it came to which one was scarier.
Speaking to Lorraine host Christine Lampard on Thursday, 10 July about the two wildlife-filled shows, he said: "Compared to I'm A Celebrity? There's nothing in I'm A Celebrity that could potentially eat you, so it didn't really compare.
"I used to breed lizards when I was a kid, and a lot of the stuff that they would use in I'm A Celeb is the food that I would feed my lizards."
But despite the potential risks of swimming with sharks, he said of the new series: "It was one of the most amazing things I've ever done. I was so bummed out when I came home, I had such a great time."
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Poynter has opened up more on the experience ahead of Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters making its TV debut.
"There were a couple of hairy moments, but I was never really scared," he said previously. "And it's not because the sharks were going to attack. I guess I had this retrospective fear when I was like, 'I was in a dangerous position and didn't really realise.' You're down in the ocean with an apex predator, the second to the Great White. There was this adrenaline and it just made you feel alive.
"You would never go running next to a pride of lions. But sharks are villainised and everyone hates them compared to lions that get Disney movies made out of them. People are just fearful of sharks and I don't blame them. Sharks are not as cute as Simba and Mufasa, but I'd quite happily dive with Tiger sharks over running with lions!"
The show left such an impression on the musician that he added: "I learnt how to scuba dive which I'm now totally obsessed with and have bought loads of my own professional gear. I'm only looking at holiday destinations that have great scuba diving now."
The new ITV series sent a group of celebrities to the Bahamas to learn how to swim with a range of sharks, which got bigger and more dangerous as the stars gained confidence.
Poynter and Noble were joined by Lenny Henry, Rachel Riley, Helen George, Ade Adepitan and Lucy Punch for the programme.
They travelled to Bimini, a shark sanctuary that is home to Hammerheads, Bull sharks, Tiger sharks and Lemon sharks, to learn from experts and divers about their importance and how to safely swim with them.
It was a nerve-jangling trip for many of the cast, many of whom had a fear of sharks or water, but they all said that they had learned a new respect for the creatures and their place in the environment.
Karen Plumb, head of factual entertainment at Plimsoll Productions who made the series, said: "We're constantly looking for innovative approaches to wildlife storytelling and are certain that our fish-out-of-water spin — delivering 50 years after Jaws — will transform the world's perception of these critical predators before it's too late."
Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters airs on ITV1 at 9pm from Monday, 14 July.
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