Name: Jan Leeming

Occupation: Former news reader and TV presenter

Age: 64

Fears and Phobias: Creepy crawlies, hypocrites

Special Skills: Looking after cheetahs, reading news programmes

Jan Leeming intends to surprise everyone with her transformation from prim and proper BBC newsreader to adventure-loving safari ranger when she unleashes herself on the public after a break from the limelight.

The 64-year-old former news reader, who has been married four times and has recently trained as a wild cat handler and safari ranger, says: “The public are going to see a very, very different me!

“I did a lot more exciting things than reading the news, but they always saw somebody well turned out, nicely coiffured, well dressed, probably not with a hair out of place. Now they’re going to see an older woman with no make-up, greasy, sweaty and possibly tired!

“It’s a challenge. Having spent a life where I didn’t do anything terribly adventurous, I’m now up for it. I said I’m going to grow old disgracefully! So I’m doing all these things now.�

Jan, who splits her time between Kent and South Africa, is no stranger to being in front of a camera. But how will she survive without the make-up, lighting and nice outfits?

“It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be very tough. I’m going to miss being able to have a bath. I’m going to miss being clean and having my privacy. I know I’m going to miss it very much.

“All my days are different. Here [in Kent], if it’s nice, I might go for a walk along the beach. In Cape Town, I do work with cheetahs. I mean, there’s never an ordinary day. In South Africa, it’s just wonderful. I do a lot of photography and I go to art classes, and I just love the Cape.�

So, how is she going to cope with being stuck in the jungle, with only celebrities and creepy crawlies for company?

“Well, I can only say I hope I’m going to be able to cope okay. I will try very, very hard to realise everybody’s weaknesses, including my own. And try hard not to be judgemental, or to get into argumentative situations. I can have a fiery temper. I hope I can keep myself on an even keel and realise it’s just a game.�

She wants to play mother and mediator to the younger celebrities and hopes that she can be a calming force in the jungle – if she can control her temper that is!

She hopes her ‘disgraceful’ adventure will set an example for all her fans: “I’m not a trailblazer and I’m not a missionary.

“But maybe, the fact that I’m putting myself through something that’s going to be physically and mentally stressing might be an encouragement to other people to get off their backsides and do something.â€?

Courtesy Of ITV