Grace Dent breaks her silence after quitting I'm A Celeb

Grace Dent has finally broken her silence after quitting I'm A Celeb.

The 50-year-old Masterchef star shocked fans all over when she left the ITV show earlier this week.

A show spokesperson said in a statement: "Unfortunately Grace Dent has left the show on medical grounds.

"She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers alike."

Since then, Grace has taken to Instagram this morning (30 November) to share an update to fans on her departure.

It read: "Dear friends. Thank you for the outpouring of love I’ve received since I was removed on Monday. I am overwhelmingly sad right now, but determined to keep alive in my heart the huge personal breakthroughs I made over the weeks.

"I spent 15 days without a phone or any contact with loved ones, living much of the time outdoors in a rain forest in very wet weather.

"It gave me a short, sharp glimpse into the pain some folk worldwide endure. Normal life, forever, will always feel beautiful."

The restaurant critic continued: "Until now, I had no idea I could find a mental space where I could calmly climb down the side of a sky scraper and then slide out on a pole, unlocking stars, as the cars below on the street felt the size of ants.

ITV

"I had no idea it was possible to be shown an American football helmet and be informed I was shortly to be locked in at the neck and filled to the eyebrows with cockroaches, and for me to think 'OK this is doable, the trick is to breathe'.

"For as long as I live, I shall never forget the cockroach that entered my ear canal and the sound of its little feet creeping closer down to my brain. It took us two goes to lure him out. Sat on the grass behind the 'Scarena' he finally washed up."

Grace took some time to reflect further on her time spent Down Under adding: "The jungle showed me how quickly I could become blasé about sleeping with hungry rats, noisy toads, moths and Huntsman spiders.

"It taught me that when you have to sleep close to the enemy the trick is to stay calm, have empathy and that screaming achieves nothing but wasted calories.

"The jungle showed me that I am physically stronger than I thought; I can carry a lot of logs and water up hill, build fire and eat hare innards at dawn for breakfast."

Instagram/@gracedent

She finished up the Instagram statement with a sweet tribute to all her fans who tuned in each night to root for her.

"I hope I gave you all a smile," Grace penned. "I didn’t go out as I planned or I wanted, but I did what I could, and I did it in a siren red gel manicure without chipping a nail.

"I didn’t cry when I took off my bra to find a family of mealworms living in the right cup. At some level, this *must* be an achievement."

If that's not an achievement - I don't know what is.

The culinary maestro then informed fans what her upcoming plans were now that she's no longer got Bushtucker Trials, insane challenges and canteens of rice and beans on her schedule.

"My plan is to recover…and when the adrenaline finally ebbs away, to make some serious plans for dinner," she continued. "Three courses, extra potatoes, definitely pudding. I think I deserve it."

Grace finished up by saying: "I love you all and miss my jungle crew. Miss Grace Dent xxx."

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! airs on ITV Sunday to Friday at 9pm and Saturday at 9.30pm.