Booth and Gest start celebrity jungle war

Booth and Gest start celebrity jungle war

Last updated at 16:56pm on 13th November 2006

Booth brawl: Welcome to the jungle, David. By the way, I'm not much of a fan of plastic fantastic

I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here has not even begun and two contestants already appear to be at war.

Lauren Booth, 39, feisty journalist and sister-in-law of Tony Blair, said David Gest, the ex-husband of Liza Minnelli and plastic surgery enthusiast, had an "ironing board face" and warned he might "melt in the jungle".

Concert producer Gest, 53, reportedly hit back at a meet-and-greet session on Australia's Gold Coast by saying, "Hello Cherie," referring to her more famous step-sister.

He admits that his preparation for the jungle has been minimal, asking: "So there's no waiters in the jungle?".

He says: "I'm absolutely not prepared for this but listen, Eskimos have survived the ice, I can survive the jungle."

Booth meanwhile, lists her celebrity supporters as Tony Blair, her brother-in-law, and Cherie Booth, her half-sister.

But she jokes: "I am sure Tony will be saying 'eat maggots ... eat maggots'."

Booth has been a vocal opponent of the Iraq war and has publicly called for the resignation of the Prime Minister.

The mother-of-two, who is the daughter of actor Tony Booth, is a self-confessed I'm a Celebrity... addict.

The series begins tonight.