Jungle fever

3:08pm Thursday 3rd July 2008

The minefield that is celebrity reality television has claimed some notable scalps over the years - Jade Goody's racist rumpus, Vanessa Feltz's chalkboard meltdown, even Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson's heart-breaking divorce.

But, back in the misty-eyed, aspirational days of reality TV, Rhona Cameron's outburst on the first series of I'm a Celebrity... was front-page news. Scottish comedian Cameron launched a broadside at fellow celebs Nigel Benn, Uri Geller, Tony Blackburn and Tara Palmer-Tompkinson before being given the jungle chop.

But six years on, and with fond memories of the £25,000 cheque that accompanied the trip Down Under, Cameron is at ease recalling her experiences.

She explains: "I am proud to have been in the first series, to be honest.

"I think mine was more interesting as we were the first ones - we were like guinea pigs, really.

"The growth of celebrity culture over the past few years has been ridiculous.

"The more vacuous the personalities have become, the more TV has just mirrored that.

"Television now just seems to be people doing up their houses, people buying property abroad, people marrying other celebs and going into rehab or Big Brother."

Cameron is now relaunching her stand-up career with a new tour entitled One-Nighter, which she brings to the Rose in preparation for a stint at the Edinburgh Festival.

And the 42-year-old is eager to downplay her previous success: "I have never been a polished comedian and I have never been a line merchant.

"But, as I have got older, I think my routines have got better.

"Many comedians are social misfits and they use comedy as a release.

"But for me comedy is a way I have put across my views and my character."

The Musselburgh-born star enjoyed her time in the spotlight following her jungle antics, fronting a range of projects that failed to match her dizzying heights.

And last year Cameron penned her first novel, The Naked Drinking Club, to critical acclaim.

But now returning to her first love, stand-up, she reveals she has no fears about grabbing the mic and hitting the road: "I feel pretty laidback about it really.

"People asked me why I had stopped doing stand-up but it's I'm not one of those people who can juggle a lot of things.

"But I'm in this game for the long run. If I still like doing it, and I still have a talent for doing it, and someone is willing to pay me for doing it, why not do it?"

Rhona Cameron, Rose Theatre, Kingston, July 6, 7.30pm, £10/£15/£20, call 0871 2301552.