Terrified Emily leads celebrities dropping into jungle as I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here kicks off tonight

AIRBORNE actress Emily Atack made a high-flying, terrifying arrival into the I’m a Celebrity jungle yesterday.

The Inbetweeners star, 28, looked shaken by her parachute jump into the ITV camp as she landed at Lennox Head, near Byron Bay, Australia.

She joined other celebs on the Yellow Team – singer Fleur East, The Vamps guitarist James McVey, The Chase’s Anne Hegerty and EastEnders actress Rita Simons – as the celebrities assembled before the first show is screened tonight.

The reality series, the first without the Ant and Dec double act, kicks off amidst torrential rain and thunderstorms.

The 10 celebrities, including Scot John Barrowman, are swapping creature comforts for creepy crawly critters over the next three weeks.

But they had only just reached the two jungle camps, Croc Creek and Snake Rock, when the storms, which led to Queensland emergency services issue warnings not to shelter under trees, hit hard.

Despite awnings, relentless rain soaked the sleeping areas and all the camp utensils, making for a soggy first night for the campmates.

New co-presenter Holly Willoughby, standing in for Ant McPartlin who is continuing his recovery after his drink-drive shame, had earlier joined Dec Donnelly in welcoming this year’s nervous newbies.

They met Glasgow-born Barrowman, Corrie’s Sair Khan, fellow soap star Rita Simons, formerly with EastEnders, and The Vamps singer James McVey on a boat on the glamorous Gold Coast to reveal they’d be split into two teams right from the start.

Barrowman and Khan were founding members of the red team, with Simons and McVey taking on a similar role with the yellow team.

They face a series of challenges before reaching camp, trying to build a team along the way. The winner of each challenge gets their pick of celebrity.

The teams then faced a final head to head race with the winners getting to stay at the main camp, Croc Creek, while the losers face bedding down in less luxurious Snake Rock.

And after recent series saw the celebrities facing their fear of heights on platforms atop a city skyscraper, it was back to nature this time.

Both teams took part in The Edge challenge, two towers heading out from the edge of a cliff 100 metres above the jungle floor. The highest-ever challenge faced on the long-running show, it was filmed at beauty spot Tanninaba Falls.

ITV are believed to be ramping up the challenges over the coming weeks, with the biggest-ever set and record numbers of bugs and snakes, anxious about falling viewing figures because of the break-up of the Ant and Dec double act.

And they’ve also splashed the cash to attract well-known faces to pull in the viewers, paying the biggest fees ever.

Football manager Harry Redknapp is said to be getting £500,000 for facing Bushtucker Trials and roughing it.

But Noel Edmonds, set to be a late entrant to camp, reportedly tops that with a £600,000 payday. The former Noel’s House Party host has said that if he is crowned King of the Jungle it’ll be his showbiz swansong.

TV presenter Nick Knowles, Hollyoaks actor Malique Thompson-Dwyer, Anne Hegarty, The Governess on quiz show The Chase, X Factor singer Fleur East and actress Emily Atack make up the original 10.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here ITV tonight 9pm.