Flanagan beats fears to secure food

Flanagan, who struggled in her first five jungle trails, had the added pressure of taking on the Bad Day At The Office challenge in front of her fellow camp mates as well as the live cameras.

But the 22-year-old managed to come away with a respectable five stars, despite some disappointed groans from her malnourished companions.

The office-themed challenge fist saw the actress type her name, age and occupation in a keyboard that was crawling with green ants.

She completed the task with ease, but then refused to stick her head in a photocopier full of cockroaches to retrieve two stars with her teeth.

Flanagan went on to pull another star from a pot of yabbies before successfully grabbing goodies from a vending machine containing a large python.

The star then drank a cup of blended bug tea and iced bun decorated with a giant stick insect to secure another meal.

Her effort came after she triumphed in Saturday’s Deadly Delivery trial, guaranteeing a meal for every one of the famished celebrities.

Just hours after family and friends expressed concerns about how the actress was coping with her stint in the jungle, Flanagan said she had “never been so happy”.

Before the trial, which was aired earlier in yesterday’s show, the pin-up admitted she was “having palpitations” but said she was “determined” to make up for her string of failures.

In order to secure meals for the camp, Flanagan had to put her head in a perspex box and manoeuvre a star across a maze, with one of the boxes containing 10,000 cockroaches.

Despite the critters crawling over her face and hair, the actress clinched 12 stars, provoking presenter Ant McPartlin to ask: “Who are you and what have you done with Helen Flanagan?”

Clearly elated, she jumped up and down and said: “I’ve never been so happy.

“I’ve never been so proud of myself ever. I feel on cloud nine.”

In tears, she added: “It’s so stupid. Honestly I can’t tell you how scared I was and just feel really proud of myself and I felt really proud and happy.”

On her return, the camp cheered in amazement and later tried to put their feelings into words.

Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts said: “I was completely in shock. I was flabbergasted.”

Boxer David Haye said: “I couldn’t believe it. Everybody was dumbfounded. Nobody could understand how or why. Everybody was shocked.”

Flanagan’s parents said today they tried to persuade her not to go into the jungle, with her mother saying she was “really worried” about her daughter after she decided to do the show.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Flanagan’s mother Julia said: “I was really worried about her going in there because it’s not the nicest of environments at all.

“I tried to persuade her not to go, even the week before I said ’Helen, you don’t have to do this you know’.”

Her mother added: “It’s starting to feel like the voting public are pushing her too far.”

Before her shock success last night, Flanagan’s friend Kym Lomas, who plays Michelle Connor on Coronation Street, tweeted that it was “unfair” for people to keep voting for Flanagan to do the trials, and added it is maybe “not the best show” for her.

In a series of tweets, Lomas said: “I love Helen but I think we need to see someone else do a trial now. I want to see the trials being done anyway, don’t you? It’s best bit! X

“It’s a bit unfair however for people to keep voting for Helen to do the trials, when we know what will happen, and then bitch about it?? X

“As Someone who knows her Maybe im a celeb is not the best show for hels to be in.”