Terrifying Ordeal Mirrors Chilling EastEnders Plot

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! campmate Shona McGarty once faced a real-life nightmare that echoed one of her darkest EastEnders storylines. The former soap star, 34, was driven to contact police after a man who claimed to be a fan repeatedly messaged her and refused to stop.

The disturbing incident took place in 2021, when Dan Dempsey, then 38, began contacting Shona across social media platforms. Even after she blocked him, he allegedly attempted to reach her again, pushing the actress into a state of fear.

Messages Turn Into Calls, and Panic Escalates

According to reports at the time, Dempsey did not back down once his messages went unanswered. He allegedly tried calling Shona directly, intensifying her alarm. When The Sun approached him for comment, he admitted sending repeated messages, claiming he only wanted to know why she had blocked him. He also said he “didn’t know she felt harassed.”

Police later arrested Dempsey on suspicion of harassment. As part of his bail conditions, he was banned from going near Shona’s home or the EastEnders set.

Art Imitates Life: A Horrifying Déjà Vu

The timing felt painfully ironic. Just months before, Shona had portrayed a frightening stalker storyline onscreen as Whitney Dean. Her character endured disturbing harassment from Leo King, the son of her former abuser, Tony King. Leo hid in her loft and ultimately attacked her. Whitney later stabbed him in self-defense in one of the soap’s most explosive episodes.

For Shona, the realisation that fiction had bled into her actual life was devastating.

A New Chapter in the Jungle

Shona has since taken one of the boldest steps of her career: joining the 2025 lineup of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! She made a dramatic parachute entrance into camp, cheered on by Kelly Brook, while supporters back home praised her courage.

Her family shared an emotional message online, revealing that she joined the show to reclaim her confidence after years of battling anxiety and depression.

They wrote:
“Anxiety and depression told her ‘no’ before… This time she said YES.”

Their words resonated with viewers who have followed Shona through her personal and professional highs and lows, including the recent end of her engagement to musician David Bracken, who still supports her jungle adventure.

Moving Forward With Strength

Shona’s experience is a sobering reminder of the dangers public figures can face behind the scenes. Yet her decision to enter the jungle shows a star determined to take back her power.

For fans, she is not only a former Walford favourite—she is proof that survival stories do not just belong on TV screens.