{"id":585666,"date":"2025-11-21T23:36:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T23:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/585666\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T23:36:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T23:36:32","slug":"shona-mcgartys-mum-reveals-magical-im-a-celeb-moment-it-was-a-weight-off-our-minds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/585666\/","title":{"rendered":"Shona McGarty’s mum reveals magical I’m a Celeb moment – ‘It was a weight off our minds’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shona McGarty’s mum Jennifer opens up to the Mirror about her daughter’s anxiety, saying goodbye to Whitney Dean, and her incredible jungle singing in a wide-ranging interview<\/p>\n

18:00, 21 Nov 2025Updated 18:44, 21 Nov 2025<\/p>\n

\"ShonaShona McGarty’s face lit up after chatting to Ruby Wax about mental health, says her mum(Image: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

For Shona McGarty\u2019s<\/a> mum Jennifer, it was the one moment in the jungle that told her everything she needed to know. It came during Shona\u2019s quiet conversation with Ruby Wax<\/a>, when her daughter finally admitted how bad her anxiety had been and she was gently reassured that she was doing brilliantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could see little Shona\u2019s face light up, as she thought \u2018oh good. I am actually smashing this\u2026.I am doing it. I am coping,\u2019\u201d she says, Watching thousands of miles away from home , Jennifer knew that look on her daughter\u2019s face straight away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a weight off our minds,\u201d she says. \u201cWe know her really well, and you can tell when she is smiling and if it is genuine, and when it is not. She has been naturally herself, which she always said she would be.\u201d That moment mattered because Shona\u2019s anxiety has been a real presence in her life.<\/p>\n

\"ShonaSo proud: Shona and her mum Jennifer(Image: Jennifer McGarty)<\/p>\n

Speaking before entering the jungle, the 34-year-old said her mental health had been \u201cpretty bad\u201d over the last four or five years<\/a>. And she confessed to being scared that her anxiety \u201cmight rear its ugly head\u201d in the camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course it\u2019s hard to watch any of your children, or anybody you know, go through anxiety but she did the right thing\u2026she recognised it and went and got medical help, which is what everybody should do,\u201d Jennifer says. \u201cYou do not suffer alone. There are things that can be done, and you learn to cope with it, and it is only a small part of Shona that does not define her at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Shona, saying yes to the jungle was part of that shift. After 16 years playing Whitney Dean<\/a>, Shona was quietly considering whether to take a leap into something new.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was toying with the decision to leave for a couple of years,\u201d Jennifer says. \u201cIt is a brave move, because EastEnders<\/a> is regular and comfortable, both financially and emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is desperate to show the world<\/a> that her real self is very different to Whitney. \u201cPeople need to know Shona now, and not Whitney,\u201d her mum says. \u201cIt is so easy, after so long, to get typecast but I think people who know her\u2026. know she is far removed from Whitney.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the jungle, Shona has exuded a quiet confidence as some of the more outgoing campmates have taken up the limelight. But Jennifer says that will come.<\/p>\n

\"ShonaShona is being cheered on my her mum(Image: Jennifer McGarty)<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a slow burner and is basically quite shy until you get to know her,\u201d she explains. \u201cShe is not someone to push herself forward. That is not Shona.\u201d Despite being in the public eye for so long, Shona\u2019s feet have remained resolutely on the ground. Adapting to the huge surge of attention on her that comes from being on I\u2019m a Celebrity has taken some getting used to.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fame isn\u2019t important to Shona, it\u2019s always been the talent and her work\u2026..she has never been a celebrity personality,\u201d she says. \u201c So this is all very new to her\u2026and quite a difficult thing for Shona to get her head around. I don\u2019t think she ever will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her family have tried hard to maintain a sense of normality despite Shona\u2019s surging profile on Albert Square<\/a>. \u201cIt has been quite bizarre,\u201d she admits. \u201cBut it is something we have just taken in our stride. Both girls went to ordinary schools, they did not go to stage schools. We have all managed to keep under the radar, which is how I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer laughs: \u201cYou know, it used to terrify me at auditions, because these stage school mums would turn up all singing and dancing and frighten the life out of me too.”<\/p>\n

Shona\u2019s childhood growing up with sister Camilla certainly prepared her for the harsh realities of life in the jungle. \u201cShe definitely is rough and tumble,\u201d Jennifer laughs. \u201cThe stories of her childhood are nightmares. Even as a child, she used to impress all the boys at primary school by putting snails on her belly and eating worms. She was afraid of nothing, and I knew the challenges would not be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer was with her daughter when the first call came through about the possibility of going on the hit ITV<\/a> show. Mum\u2019s reaction was instantaneous.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such an amazing opportunity. And it was, \u2018why can\u2019t you do it?\u2019 I knew she could do it.\u201d The jungle also offers the chance to showcase Shona\u2019s singing talent.<\/p>\n

In fact, viewers were left staggered by her voice as she sang Tina Turner\u2019s Proud Mary, with Martin Kemp<\/a>. Jennifer remembers the exact moment she realised her daughter had something special.<\/p>\n

\"ShonaShona arriving at Brisbane airport(Image: Tim Merry\/Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n

\u201cI realised it was in the playground in primary school when she was seven,\u201d she says. \u201cOne of the teachers came over and said Shona had just given a rendition of Amazing Grace, which I did not even know she knew. I was thinking: \u2018are you talking to me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

From then on, it became obvious. \u201cShe is very shy and nervous, which is natural for any performer, no matter who you are. But once she gets up there, you cannot get her off. You need a big hook to tell her time\u2019s up. It inspires confidence in her when she sings. She is herself when singing.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is why Jennifer was delighted to see Shona writing and recording again. \u201cShe has been in the studio, busy,\u201d she says. \u201cShe writes songs prolifically, and she has got lots in her book. She has got another few bits in the pipeline. So that is where she wants to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while the nation watches her daughter in camp, Jennifer is certain who Shona is pining for the most…<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she misses the dog Cece Bloom more than she misses us,\u201d she laughs Named after a Bette Midler character, the dog is probably the most showbiz thing about her. Which is exactly how Shona likes it.<\/p>\n

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on<\/strong> TikTok<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Snapchat<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Instagram<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Twitter<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> Facebook<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> YouTube<\/strong><\/a> and<\/strong> Threads<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n