A young boy with autism has written a letter to I’m A Celebrity‘s Anne Hegerty after she opened up about her own Asperger’s in the jungle.
Anne, who entered the jungle on Sunday night (November 18), warmed viewers’ hearts when she faced her fears head on and confided in her fellow celebrities about her struggles.
Since then, she has continued to open up to her camp mates and they have been seen forming a close bond over the past couple of days.
Speaking to her fellow campmates – Fleur East, Emily Atack, James McVey and Rita Simons – the 60-year-old explained how her Asperger’s means she has to fully imagine herself completing a task beforehand; otherwise she can be thrown off completely.
Only the day before, Anne – best known for her persona as The Governess on The Chase – broke down in tears and threatened to quit the show.
Anne could be seen getting visibly upset on her first night in camp, turning to her campmates and saying:
I’m just really, really close to saying I can’t do this.
After opening up to her campmates, 60-year-old Anne took to the Bush Telegraph to express her thoughts.
She said:
I really appreciate how nice and sympathetic they’ve been to me. It was nice that they said I pick up on social cues because I’m never quite sure that I entirely do. I just get overwhelmed with all the things there are to do.
And now her bravery for putting herself in such a difficult situation has been recognised, in particular by an 11-year-old boy with autism who wrote her a letter.
Joseph Hughes, from Preston, was diagnosed with autism at the age of five. He told Anne in his letter that she is ‘very brave’ and ‘clever,’ stating that he likes to watch her on The Chase.
His mum, Kate Jarvis, posted the letter to her Twitter account yesterday (November 19):
The young boy started by introducing himself to Anne, giving her his name and telling her that he attends a specialist school because of his autism.
He wrote:
I think you are very brave for going in the jungle. I couldn’t go there because there are too many bugs. You are very clever.
Sometimes people are mean to me because I am autistic but watching you makes me see that other people can have autism too and maybe I can have a cool job like you when I am older.
He also talks about his love for Thunderbirds, asking Anne if she likes them too.
The post went viral, and Joseph’s mum posted a video of his response earlier this morning. In the video, she can be heard telling Joseph that his letter was seen by the people who make Thunderbirds.
Upon hearing this, he gasps and says he ‘can’t believe it’:
Hopefully Anne will see Joseph’s letter once she leaves the jungle and he can meet the woman who has inspired so many.
I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here continues on ITV tonight at 9pm.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).