I’M A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’s Jacqueline Jossa’s family heartache is what is spurning her on in the jungle.
The 27-year-old actress lost two brothers to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, with her sister Katrina previously running the London Marathon to for Lullaby Trust – a charity that supports grieving parents and offers research into unexpected infant deaths.
Jacqueline’s two brothers were both born before her, making her parents Selina and John’s Rainbow Baby.
A source said: “The tragedy of what happened with her brothers was a few years before she was born.”
They continued to The Mirror: “It makes Jacqueline even more grateful for her own children and also the need to seize the day and appreciate life.
“She has been working hard and earning money for her family since she was 17 so it is no surprise for them to see how committed she is to not giving up in the jungle.”
Jacqueline previously admitted that her brothers’ tragic passing made her anxious when she welcomed her own children, with the former EastEnders star mum to 18-month-old Mia and four-year-old Ella.
When asked how the deaths affected her, the star said: “It makes me more nervous about everything.
“Theres no reason to think that would ever happen to me as theres no hereditary link.
“But its such an awful thing to go through and Ive seen how it has affected my mum.
“Its hard not to worry when you have a baby. Its a nerve-racking time.”
On her sister’s charity fundraising page last year, she went into more detail about the family tragedies.
She wrote: “I lost two baby brothers, one due to cot death and the other put down to cot death although he died in hospital due to an illness caused by lack of oxygen at birth.”
Katrina raised over 4,000 at the time, with Jacqueline among her biggest supporters.
In yesterday’s episode of I’m A Celeb, the actress reflected on how proud she was of her journey in the jungle, admitting that she is “stronger” than she ever thought that she was.
