Beloved TV pastry chef Anna Polyviou exited the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here jungle on Sunday, April 16 after spending two weeks in the star-studded camp.
While her larger-than-life personality shone through our screens (like it always has during her stints on MasterChef Australia and Snackmasters) fans were shocked to discover that she has been battling serious mental health issues due to business failings over the past year.
CONTENT WARNING: This article contains references to mental health and may be triggering for some readers.
During the April 13 episode of the hit series, Polyviou revealed the charity she was playing for was Dress for Success, a non-profit organisation which empowers underprivileged women.
“Last year was a hard year for me. My businesses were falling down and I still had to pay staff,” she told her fellow cast mates at the time. “There were bills that we were required to pay. I was suicidal because of it. It was just the depression during the whole period, and I was suicidal. But, I think the hard part is, I never asked for help… it’s OK to ask for help and these women are going there [and] asking for help.”
Now, in an interview with Mediaweek following her elimination, Polyviou admitted that being in the jungle was a “healing experience”.
How the I’m a Celebrity jungle helped “heal” Anna Polyviou
For Polyviou, going on the show “changed my life”.
“It was really healing and I think me doing I’m a Celebrity changed my life,” she said. “It gave me a sense of purpose, direction and a challenge and it just made me feel uncomfortable from the time I went in, to the time I left and that’s what I wanted. I wanted to feel uncomfortable.”
Even though it was instrumental in battling her demons, she admitted that she was “still dealing with it”.
“I’ve dealt with the suicide aspect, but I’m still healing as an individual.”
Like all of the cast, bringing awareness to her charity was paramount; however, it wasn’t what she was thinking of when she initially signed the dotted line.
“It was about me,” she admitted. “I had started seeing a psychologist and I had started to go to the gym with a personal trainer. I started putting myself in uncomfortable situations and I spoke to a beautiful person called Katie Williams, who did Big Brother.”
Williams, who is a coach and trainer, gave Polyviou different tasks. Some included seeking help, doing resistance with a personal trainer, breathing techniques and being in uncomfortable situations, one of them being the show.
“We go see a psychologist, but a psychologist can’t give you an experience like this [I’m a Celeb]. It was like no other.”
While Polyviou’s partner of 14 years, Casey, knew of her struggles, the 43-year-old hadn’t told her family, who consequently learned about her mental health on TV.
“That was one of my biggest regrets, not asking for help,” she said.
Anna Polyviou wanted to change the perception of junior staff in kitchens
Another reason Polyviou entered the jungle was to change perceptions of the hospitality industry, namely the more junior staff who work in the kitchen. In fact, she told the other campmates she was “just a pastry chef” for five days, before admitting that she got her start as a kitchen chef.
After a particularly heated conversation with a fellow campmate who called the people who wash dishes “dish pigs”, Polyviou made it her mission to set the record straight.
“I said, ‘No, people that wash dishes are superstars. We need them to do what we do,'” she said. “So, I refused to cook so that I could wash the dishes to show that I’m not any better than anybody else. I don’t want people thinking that anyone in the kitchen is any less than someone else. We work together as a team. It’s how we operate. So a chef isn’t any more special than the person that washes the dishes. It’s a form of respect and that’s exactly what I wanted to do.”
Anna Polyviou revealed how hard it really is in the I’m a Celeb jungle
When she did finally start cooking — once she had pried the cooking utensils off “budget Gordon Ramsay” a.k.a Ian “Dicko” Dickson — Polyviou shared her vast knowledge with her campmates, teaching them about fresh produce and how to cook with the bare essentials.
“What people don’t realise is how hard it is,” she said. “We’re literally eating four tablespoons of oats with no honey or brown sugar or maple syrup. Then it was like three tablespoons of rice, two tablespoons of beans.”
At one point, the sweet tooth asked if she “fainted could she get a salad sandwich” because there was “no way I was eating rice and beans”. Needless to say, they made her eat it anyway.
“I lost 6kg in two weeks,” she said laughing, before continuing: “You’re washing your clothes, and then you’re waiting for it to dry, then you’re taking a sh** and a pi** in literally a box and then you’re showering in the cold. But if you can get beyond that, the experience is like no other. You’re under the stars, you’re actually here in the wildlife and you’ve got another 12 camp mates, which means that each individual is bringing something into your life that will change your life.”
How Polyviou’s management convinced the network to send her to the jungle
Polyviou knew for over six months that she would be appearing on the show, and had her management to thank for the push for her to go into the jungle.
“I know that my manager was like, ‘I think Anna is the best person for this’ and they said, ‘we didn’t even think about Anna. Let’s get her in’. And then when I was speaking to the cast, they said, ‘you are the perfect fit. You’re a chef, you’re a lesbian and you’re a woman. You’re also first generation Australian.’
“Being Greek Cypriot is not very acceptable and they love the fact that instead of me pulling away from my family, this [being on the show] was about nurturing our loved ones and educating them about who we are. So, instead of just us dealing with it, we need to help them deal with it as well.”
If you or someone you know is in distress and needs more information, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here continues at 7.30 pm on 10 and 10Play.