Former Mid Wales MP Lembit Opik has forced his mother to put her 70th birthday celebrations on hold so he can take part in ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here!

The Liberal Democrat, who lost his Montgomeryshire seat at this year’s general election, has now been officially revealed as one of the contestants in the new series, which starts tomorrow.

“I was going to take mum on a Cunard voyage for her 70th birthday, and I have had to postpone it,” he revealed.

“Hopefully she will forgive me. What I am doing instead couldn’t be more different though.”

Mr Opik described himself as a “Marmite politician” – people either love him or loathe him – but said he hoped his stint in the jungle gave people chance to discover his real personality.

Other celebrities signed up for the jungle show include former Bond girl Britt Ekland, TV charmer Nigel Havers, Olympic sprint legend Linford Christie, and Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder – who has cancelled a planned Shropshire concert to fly Down Under.

While last year’s X Factor finalist Stacey Solomon is also included in the line-up, this year’s contestants were today hoping to shrug aside controversy from last week, when Cheryl Cole refused to decide between two of her acts in the eviction vote.

Katie Waissel is hot favourite to be booted out this Elton John-themed weekend, when there are set to be two evictions.

Meanwhile, on Strictly Come Dancing, Anne Widdecombe is fourth favourite to win the series – despite finishing bottom of the leader board virtually every week.

The only competitors deemed to have a better chance are Countryfile presenter Matt Baker and EastEnders actor Scott Maslen, who are 9/4 joint favourites, and another former EastEnder, Kara Tointon, who is 9/2

X Factor favourite Matt Cardle got the chance to meet his Tottenham Hotspur FC heroes on a visit to the club’s training ground. He sang a duet with Irish striker Robbie Keane – then got the chance to show off his skills on the pitch.

There was also an away-day for Strictly Come Dancing’s Pamela Stephenson, who took her partner James Jordan to Scotland.

It was also reported today that Harry Styles, from boyband One Direction, was given a telling-off by mentor Simon Cowell after sneaking a female fan backstage into the mogul’s dressing room.