BIG AMBITIONS - ‘JESS HEADING FOR HOLLYWOOD? NEVER SAY NEVER'

JESSICA PLUMMER’S PAL JADE CASTELL REVEALS WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE ACTRESS FOLLOWING HER I’M A CELEBRITY ADVENTURE

- ELLIE KIRWIN-JONES

If anyone knows I’m A Celeb contestant Jessica Plummer, it’s her childhood bestie Jade Castell. With a friendship that dates back 16 years, the pair now consider themselves family, with Jade calling 28-year-old Jessica her “baby cousin”.

Before heading to the Welsh castle, Jade tells us Jessica was determined to make her four-year-old daughter, Noa Lily, proud. And she’s certainly done that, smashing her way through more than her fair share of Bushtucker Trials and charming the nation with her sweet personality. “The fact she put her head in with the rat, I just thought, ‘You go girl!’ I wouldn’t be doing it, put it that way,” says Jade, laughing.

Jessica’s first taste of fame was with the pop group Neon Jungle, who were together from 2013 to 2015, but it was her role as domestic abuse victim Chantelle Atkins in EastEnders that really made her name. Jade tells us Jess was determined to get the harrowing scenes, which ultimately ended in tragedy, “just right” and gave the role her all.

Here, Jade opens up about her squeamish friend’s phobias and tells us why she won’t be returning to her pop-star roots…

What kind of friend is Jessica?