Emmerdale favourite Lisa Riley has shared the emotional reason she finally said yes to the I’m A Celebrity jungle, revealing that both her late mum and her beloved Strictly Come Dancing partner Robin Windsor inspired her to take the leap.

A Journey Guided by Her Mum’s Memory

Speaking from her hotel room in Queensland, Lisa admitted she has spent her final hours before camp thinking constantly about her mum, Cath. Even with a chaperone by her side twenty four hours a day, their conversations kept circling back to her.

Lisa lost her mum to breast cancer in 2012. The illness spread to Cath’s pelvis, ovaries and pancreas, and she passed away at only fifty seven. The grief remains close to the surface.

“It has been lovely just talking about my mum and how proud she would be,” Lisa said. “I feel like she is sending me a message from heaven. She would be saying, go on, knock them dead and have a laugh.”

The pair were inseparable during Cath’s lifetime. They spoke up to ten times a day, and Lisa knows her mum would have been torn between pride and worry.

Robin Windsor’s Influence Lives On

Lisa also carries the memory of her best friend and Strictly partner Robin Windsor, who died last year at just forty four. His enthusiasm for the jungle show played a huge part in her decision.

“Robin always wanted to do it,” she explained. “He thought I was mad for saying no. He would be telling me I would be hilarious. I know he is on my shoulder. He will just want me to be myself.”

Confidence Built Over Three Decades

Lisa entered the acting world at thirteen and has never stopped working. With roles across Emmerdale, Waterloo Road and the acclaimed drama Three Girls, she sees the jungle as a new type of challenge. But she feels ready.

“As a woman who has lasted this long in such a strong industry, I know I can cope in the Australian jungle,” she said.

At home in Yorkshire, she shares her life with musician partner Al. They have been engaged for seven years, and he has been teasing her about the jungle food already.

Embracing the Real Lisa

Lisa is not worried about going into the jungle without makeup, hair products or filters.

“I love looking raw on TV,” she said. “People will see me as a total frizz bomb and I will embrace it. I am not a vain actress.”

She is also relaxed about wearing swimwear on camera. “I am very body positive. I like my wobbly bits. They are part of me.”

The Dingle Spirit

Asked what might set her off in camp, Lisa’s answer was instant. “Disloyalty. Loyalty runs through my bones. That is when Mandy Dingle would come out. Never mess with her.”

The Secret Mission to Australia

Keeping her jungle trip secret was a challenge of its own. Lisa even assigned a codename to the show.

“It just became Costco,” she laughed. “My work diary said Costco every day from the moment I arrived in Australia until I get back on the Emmerdale set on the twelfth of December.”

She felt guilty hiding the truth from her castmates, especially the Dingles, but she knows they will cheer her on the moment her name is announced.

Ready for the Adventure

Now approaching her fiftieth birthday and celebrating ten years of sobriety, Lisa feels the timing is perfect.

“I just want to have fun and a good giggle,” she said. “Even if I end up covered in sheep guts.”

Lisa Riley enters the jungle with love, loss and loyalty guiding every step. And fans already know she will be unforgettable.