Name: Joe Swash

Age: 26

Occupation: Actor

Celebrity supporters: Kara Tointon

Phobias: Rats and Snakes

Special skills: Lifting, carrying and playing practical jokes

“I think that I’m quite aggravating – when I’m bored I aggravate people for my own pleasure.”

Actor Joe Swash is set to cause havoc in the jungle this year by playing practical jokes on his campmates.

Joe says he has been getting advice from the current King of the Jungle, Christopher Biggins, who told him that he may find himself with long periods of time on his hands – so the actor says he will probably bug the other contestants by hiding their things and playing other tricks on them.

He says: “I think that I’m quite aggravating – when I’m bored I aggravate people for my own pleasure. I find my attention span isn’t very good so I just kind of bug people. I fiddle with things and poke people. Just like sticking stuff in things and hiding and talking in the dark. Just stupid things, nothing that’s going to offend anyone or make them really hate me, just stuff to pass my own time and annoy the f*ck out of them.

“I’m a bit of a prankster, I always do stuff to my pals but I’ll try to keep that on the low in the jungle.

“My friends and family are just looking forward to seeing me in really awkward positions. Because I’m a bit of a practical joker and play tricks on my mum and my friends, I think they see this as like a payback for me, so I think they’re really going to thoroughly enjoy seeing me squirm.

“Christopher [Biggins] said that when you watch it on the telly you don’t realise how bored you get sometimes because there is so much time that goes past when you aren’t doing anything. So you just have to try to get over the boredom of not having anything to do during the day. He just said, ‘Go in there, be yourself and have a good time’.”

And Joe may disappoint a few female fans because he’s planning to keep his top on at all times in the jungle.

He says: “I said to myself that I was going to go to the gym but I let myself down really badly. I thought it would be really nice to go on the telly ripped but instead I’m going to keep my top on – I’ll leave that to someone else.”

Joe says his perfect fellow contestant would be Noel Gallagher because he seems like a normal person and the worst kind of person he could be in the jungle with would be a bully.

He says: “I met Noel Gallagher once on Soccer AM and he was an absolute legend. Someone who is that famous and that successful to have that common touch with everyone. He spoke to me like he would probably speak to his mate in the pub, so genuinely. So I’d love to be in with someone like that.

“The worst person to stick me in the jungle with would be a bully. I can’t stand bullying. But myself, I’d hope to think I don’t get in rows. I don’t really get in rows with people. I mean, in real life I’m only little so if I got in a row with someone they’d probably just beat me up so I’ve learnt just not to row with people and just get on with them.

“But I do really dislike bullying, so I suppose if there was a fight going on or a row, and someone was getting a little bullied or someone took it too far, I’d say like, ‘Listen come on slow it down because everyone’s watching you, you’re on telly, so just remember that’.

“Janice Dickinson, she was an absolute nightmare but I can really get on with her. I think I would try to find the best in people, like if there was a real toff in there I think I could find a piece of them that I could get on with. That’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got a few weeks to try and find things in people that you do have in common. I think you should spend most of your time in there trying to find things in common with people.”

Joe says he’s worried about the lack of food in the jungle and thinks an empty stomach could leave him drunk after one glass of wine.

He says: “I’ve done the eating less thing because I have this theory that your belly shrinks if you don’t eat so a smaller amount of food fills you up. So I’ve been cutting my meals down to like two a day and I’ve been fine with it so far so I’m hoping that will put me in good stead for the jungle.

“But I think that’s the only thing that would make me really grumpy, not eating properly. That would get to me I think. And also if you don’t eat and then they chuck in a random bottle of wine, and then you have a glass of wine, I’m going to be drunk, I mean well drunk, in the jungle. So I’ll have to worry about that as well.”

Joe said he is looking forward to the physical Bushtucker Trials – but not any of the others.

He says: “All the physical stuff like climbing and the gauntlet where all the water comes down on you, all that sort of stuff I love. During the day, if there are logs to be done or things to be happening, I’ll go out and do it because I just love to go out there and do something. So I’ll definitely chuck myself into doing some work.

“I’m scared of the rats because I hate rats. If I found a snake in my sleeping bag it would be the funniest thing that you have ever seen. I can’t stand things like that. I can’t stand rats or snakes or anything like that. I’m dreading the Bushtucker Trials, I’m dreading the rats, spiders.

“But I suppose once you get the tasks done I bet you feel amazing after you’ve done something like that, like you’ve put yourself to the test. So there’re a few things in there that I am dreading. I’m not looking forward to jumping out of a plane, or anything like that but I suppose once you’ve jumped out of the plane the feeling’s amazing, when you’re on the floor and you’re still alive, you’re not dead.

“So I suppose I’m dreading everything but I’m kind of looking forward to conquering it all. I think it’ll be great to do the Bushtucker Trials. There are so many things that I think are disgusting that they make you do, but once you get them done I think you’ll have an amazing feeling of achievement. It’s the eating thing. When you’ve got to eat the grubs and the rat’s tail, and they had to pull the skin off the rat’s tail and it’s just stuff that’s disgusting.

“But people do do them, so I know they’re possible, but every time I see that on telly in previous years I’ve been heaving. I’ve thought, ‘Oh, how have they done that?’ So definitely the eating the grubs and the kangaroo anus, I’m not looking forward to them.”

Joe, who has a 17-month-old son, Harry, says he doesn’t think he will be the leader of the camp but wants to get on well with people.

He says: “I’m not going to be leader. I wouldn’t want to put my self out as leader, because who wants to be a leader? It just causes hassle. I’m just going to get on with it I don’t want to get into these big discussions to make big decisions because I’m in there to have a laugh so if someone wants to step up and be the headmaster they’re more than welcome.

“All my mates say I’m quite funny because I don’t think about what I say and then I come out with stupid quotes that are not true so I think that would entertain them. So I want to try and keep the dumbisms, as I call them on the low. I think I’m quite a nice person to talk to so I just want to chat to people and pass the time.”

Joe says he wants to go into the jungle because he thinks it will be a great experience and take him out of his comfort zone – but he also hopes the viewers will like him and not get him confused with his character.

He says: “The biggest thing really is if you’re an actor, if people don’t like your character then that’s fine, because they’re not really saying they don’t like you as a person. If someone didn’t like my character they’ll just say they don’t like Mickey, and I’ll be like, ‘Oh that’s all right because I’m not Mickey’. But with this if someone doesn’t like you or the public don’t like you it’s because they don’t like you.

“So that’s quite a vulnerable thing. I haven’t got my character to hide behind any more – I’ve got to be myself. So it’s like I’m saying to everyone, ‘This is me – what do you reckon?’ And if people don’t like me then I’ve got to face up to that. So I think that’s one of the things I’m worried about, not having something to hide behind and just being myself, you know like warts and all so it’s quite nervewracking.

“But the fact that you’re going to be doing all this stuff that you wouldn’t normally do, and it’s taking you out of your comfort zone, I think it’s going to be really exciting so that’s one of the main reasons I’m doing it because it’s a total life change, it’s the total opposite to what I’ve ever done before.

“I mean I could sit in the Big Brother house and eat food and fart…but anyone can do that, but to go into the jungle and jump out of a helicopter, eat kangaroo penis and croc cock and stuff like that, it’s totally different, it’s taking me out of my comfort zone, so I just want to see how I react to it, so hopefully it will be good.”