I'm A Celeb star Alan Halsall 'nervous' he could be removed from show due to painful injury

Coronation Street's stalwart Alan Halsall, known for his portrayal of Tyrone Dobbs, is gearing up to swap the cobbles for the Australian outback in the upcoming series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! But he admits he has fears he could depart the series early due to a painful injury he suffered last year.

Alan was initially set to join the I'm A Celebrity cast last year but had to pull out due to a knee injury that required anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. "I had two months off this time last year to do it, but then I ended up having an operation," he disclosed.

"I'm still undergoing physiotherapy for my knee, and that will continue for quite some time. It's one of those injuries where the recovery is lengthy, but on a daily basis, it should be okay. It's more of a mental battle. You're just thinking, 'I don't want to reinjure my knee because it's such a long process,' so you get nervous about it."

The star won't have to eat any kangaroo testicles in the trials, as he's a vegetarian. However, it's not the daunting Bushtucker trials or the creepy crawlies at camp that are causing the actor concern it's the prospect of being apart from his 11 year old daughter Sienna, reports the Mirror.

"I'm quite logical when it comes to adults I know I'll miss them for a few weeks but that's how it is," confessed the 42 year old soap favourite. "When it comes to Sienna, it's going to be a lot harder to deal with."

Having graced the screen on Corrie for almost 30 years, Alan shares parenting duties for Sienna with his ex-wife and one-time co-star Lucy-Jo Hudson after they parted ways in 2018. Now, he's bracing himself for potentially four weeks in the jungle, joining celebrities such as Coleen Rooney, Strictly sensation Oti Mabuse, and McFly's Danny Jones.

Initially, Sienna was less than excited about her father's Aussie adventure. "She's only just come around to the idea of me being a part of this show. I'm glad she has, because a couple of weeks ago I was thinking that this was going to be really, really tough," he revealed.

The duo have become closer while enjoying the show, laughing together at the trials. Sienna is now eager to see her dad take on the jungle challenges.

"We've been watching some of the Bushtucker trials together and having a laugh. I think she's now excited to see Daddy covered in bugs. She's already told me that if she can't watch it every night, she's going to watch it on her iPad on the way to school in the mornings. I know it's only a few weeks, but the days are long and most of my thoughts will be about seeing her and what she's doing. That's the natural job of a dad! ".

Coronation Street regular Alan Halsall, known to fans as Tyrone since 1998, is open to swapping his familiar role for new adventures. Reflecting on his time on the soap, he says, "In my first cast picture, I was sitting on the floor asa kid with Sam Aston, Samia Longchambon and Tina O'Brien. We had the newest picture the other week and I had a chair on the front row," adding a touch of humour: "I thought, 'I've made it to the front! ' But then I realised that just means I'm old. Even though it's the same job, it feels like a different job every day but I'm A Celeb is really different. It's completely out of my comfort zone."

With I'm A Celeb fever sweeping the nation, Alan is thrilled about joining the ranks of co-stars who've tackled the jungle before, such as 2019's runner-up Andy Whyment, Sue Cleaver who took part in 2022, and on-screen wife Jennie McAlpine from 2017. "The person I'm closest to is Andy. He's like the big brother that I never asked for and he's done both shows the Australian series and the All Stars edition in South Africa," Alan shared.

Joking about his pre-jungle routine, he commented on his friendship with caffeine and alcohol: "I've just had my second coffee of the day I haven't managed to cut down on coffee and I certainly haven't cut down on Guinness yet," followed by a laugh. "But how do you prepare to have 10 snakes put on your head? ".

Alan has been a lifelong vegetarian and won't have to face the challenge of eating kangaroo testicles on the show. "I don't know why I'm vegetarian, because my family all eat meat. My mum said that I was just adamant from toddler age that I wouldn't eat meat or fish," he explains.

"A couple of years ago, I went away with Sienna and she was eating all this great food so I started to try to eat chicken. I would cut it up into small pieces and hide it in curries but my dinner was becoming like a Bushtucker trial!"

Despite his character Tyrone not being at the forefront of storylines while he's in the jungle, Alan is keen to return to Weatherfield as soon as he can and hopes to stay for the long haul. "My job is genuinely one of the things I will miss. I love the people and the fact that it's a different script every day. I can't wait to go back to domestic non-bliss at No. 9 Coronation Street," he says, beaming.