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By Marcus Barnes


Logging on: Fatima Whitbread carries a big lump of wood on her shoulders as she mucks in in the jungle


She's famous for flexing her muscle on the athletics field.

But Fatima Whitbread proved her Olympian frame isn't just handy for throwing a javelin as she set about getting stuck in during her first day in the I'm A Celeb jungle.

The 50-year-old – who won gold at the 1987 World Championships – slipped into a bikini as she lifted logs and exercised in her team's camp.

Im-pressing her celeb companions: The former World Champion gets exercising during her first day in the base camp


Fatima wore a leopard print two-piece which showed off the muscles she has acquired through years of training.

It remains to be seen if her fitness regime will help her survive the notorious bushtucker trials, but one can only presume that she'll have at least a slight advantage.

Fatima and her Yellow team won her first task in the jungle - her team, Anthony Cotton, Benidorm star Crissy Rock, and Mark Wright were victorious in the opening challenge which decided where the celebrities would stay.


Lifting spirits: The former world champion grimaces as she pulls herself up...

...which the muscular athlete does with ease


They were divided into teams and went head to head to compete for a place in one of two camps.

Both teams were dangled above a tank of fish guts as they competed in a trial which saw them sticking their heads into tanks full of insects to retrieve stars.

Proving her mettle, Fatima appeared fearless when given a tank of eels.

Taking it easy: Crissy Rock exercises with a small piece of wood while Fatima juggles the big stuff


In the task Mark Wright was faced with scorpions but Anthony Cotton was unimpressed by his tank of cockroaches.

The yellow team won the task, while the blue team - Jessica-Jane, Willie Carson, Stefanie Powers, Lorraine Chase and McFly's Dougie Poynter - had to face the fish guts.

And, as a result, Fatima's team won themselves a comfortable camp with proper bedding and decent food, while the blue team were faced with more basic living conditions and rations in their camp.


Deep breaths! Fatima and Mark Wright take part in the Scales of Justice Bushtucker Trial


Meanwhile the public had the chance to vote for the first Bushtucker Trial of the series - which will see Mark Wright go head to head with Freddie Starr in an eating challenge called The Greasy Spoon.

Despite the threat of bugs and, potentially, storms and the like - Fatima has said her biggest concern is leaving her 13-year-old son at home.

She said: 'I am a single mum and my son and I have been joined at the hip.

'I have never left him for longer than 24 hours. I am sure I will put my head under the covers at night and there will be a few tears.

'I will deal with it, though. I hope it will enable me to learn to let go of him.'


source:dailymail