SCARLETTE Douglas is running on pure adrenalin.
When we meet one month on from her life-changing I’m A Celebrity! experience, she’s barely had a chance to catch her breath.
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“I haven’t stopped,” she says. “I’m just riding this wave and loving it!”
Her lust for life is in stark contrast to this time last year, when the former A Place In The Sun presenter was feeling the overwhelming effects of burnout and caught up in a relationship that was making her deeply unhappy. In fact, she’d gone into 2022 in a state of despair.
Opening up for the first time about her turmoil, Scarlette, 35, says: “For the last six months of 2021, I cried myself to sleep nearly every night, not really understanding why.
“I was holding in a lot of emotion, sadness and tension – and I couldn’t work out where it was coming from.
“I can see now that part of it was looking at my diary and freaking out because I didn’t have a day off. But I was also going through a rough patch relationship-wise.
‘Huge weight just lifted’
“I was in a relationship that I didn’t want to be in and shouldn’t have been in. I was overworked, my iron count was low. I don’t think I was depressed, but I was really sad.”
Ending things with her boyfriend of two years, musician and The Voice star Lyndrik Xela, 33, last April proved to be a turning point.
“The minute I came out of that relationship, a huge weight just lifted. I felt I could be goofy again and not have to be apologetic for it. I didn’t have anybody telling me: ‘You shouldn’t be like that,’ or: ‘This is too much,’ “I’m happy now and I smile for no reason. I don’t cry – not how I cried back then anyway.
“I’m not going to hide or shy away. I had started to shrink and I’m not going to let that happen again.
“My light is going to shine, and if it’s too bright for you, then you can get out. I will never dim my light for anyone ever again.”
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Ever since the break-up, Scarlette has been “single and ready to mingle”. As a woman in her mid-30s, however, she’s more than aware of the societal expectation on her to “settle down”, but she plans to be a mother with or without a partner.
“I’d love to have kids, and if that means I have to get my eggs frozen, then I will. It’s 2023 and it’s more common for women to have kids older – and we can, because there are ways of doing it.
“I love love and I’m a hopeless romantic. I love Valentine’s Day, rose petals, chocolates, candles and love letters… So, yes, I would love to meet someone. But at the same time, I’m not going to rush it.
“I know I’m getting older and people say: ‘Your clock’s ticking, your eggs are diminishing.’ But I’m not just going to be in a relationship for the sake of it.
“I’ve got amazing friends and family around me and if I have to adopt, I can adopt. If I need a sperm donor, I’ll get a sperm donor.
When Ant and Dec said my name, I was gutted, because I’d genuinely loved every minute of it.
“I’ve got seven nieces and nephews who I love more than anything, but I also love my sleep, so I’ve got a good middle ground at the minute.”
There is someone on the horizon, though. While in the jungle, Scarlette revealed her crush on comedian Mo Gilligan, and they have since been introduced by her jungle BFF Babatunde Aléshé, who is Mo’s Celebrity Gogglebox co-star.
“Who knows what will happen?” says Scarlette with a grin. “Mo is extremely busy – and I’m sure he has many options. I’m also extremely busy… but don’t have many options!
“Seriously, my focus is on my schedule, which is a little bit mental. If anything happens with anyone, then great. If not, I’ve got my career and my girl friends, so either way, I’m winning.”
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Scarlette, whose real name is Charlotte (she uses Scarlette professionally), went to performing arts college at 16 and started out in musical theatre, starring in shows such as Hairspray and Rock Of Ages, before moving into presenting and bagging her dream job on A Place In The Sun in 2015.
She stayed on the show for nearly seven years, but quit last summer to pursue other opportunities – she also co-hosts George Clarke’s Flipping Fast and Worst House On The Street, which she presents with her older brother Stuart, and which has just been recommissioned for two more series.
When the call came to go on I’m A Celebrity! Scarlette jumped at the chance. And she was devastated to be the second person to leave camp following the public vote – she wasn’t ready to go at all.
“When Ant and Dec said my name, I was gutted, because I’d genuinely loved every minute of it. So it was a shame, but I still got to be a part of it and hopefully, off the back of that, people want to see more of me,” she says.
There was some talk about an undercurrent of racism to the voting, given the fact that the two black women on the show – Loose Women’s Charlene White was the first out – departed earliest.
Then, Corrie’s Sue Cleaver was next out, leaving just one woman – the eventual winner Jill Scott – with seven men.
We were angry and upset and we wanted questions answered. But having said that, we all had to get on while we were there.
Interestingly, a quick glance at the history of the 22 series shows it’s pretty rare for there to be more than one female in the final.
“There’s always going to be speculation, and I know when I came out, a lot of people were talking about whether it was a racist thing,” says Scarlette.
“But I was going in there as the underdog. People didn’t know me as well as the others, and I understand that it’s a popularity contest to a certain degree.
“All I know is that on that day, I didn’t get the votes. Whether it was because I’m a woman, because I’m a black woman, because I was the least well-known, I don’t know.
“It could have been all of these things and it could have been none of them. All I could do was my best.”
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She remains very close to her campmates, with plans to catch a musical with Boy George, go to Nando’s with Owen Warner and simply hang out as much as possible with Babatunde. She has little doubt she’s made friends for life.
“They’ve all brought something to me and I’d honestly love to stay friends with everybody…”
She pauses a beat.
“Well, bar potentially one person.”
No prizes for guessing who that might be. The presence of a certain disgraced ex-Health-Secretary in camp became the biggest talking point of the series.
Matt Hancock has since announced he’ll be stepping down as an MP at the next General Election and the Covid-rule-breaking love cheat is now expected to make a mint on the media circuit, which he can add to the reported £400,000 that he banked for his controversial jungle appearance.
Scarlette says his arrival in the camp made everyone uncomfortable.
“I spoke to him and said that he hadn’t got the warmest of welcomes and I hoped he understood why.
“What he did was a big slap in the face for everybody. We were angry and upset and we wanted questions answered.
“But having said that, we all had to get on while we were there. It’s a very small space and you don’t want animosity, so for the sake of camp, we got on with it.”
Surely it must have stuck in the craw, though, to see Matt still in the camp while other contestants were being picked off?
Chris Moyles, who was sixth out, could not contain his disbelief at that fact in his exit interview.
Why on earth did Matt end up doing so well?
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“I think when he first came in, he was doing his best to make sure we all liked him. He was getting stuck in with everything, he was taking on the trials and pretty much nailing them.
“And I guess that’s maybe why the audience started to want to see him in there.”
Will she be buying his book, Pandemic Diaries?
Er, not likely.
“No. If he sent me a copy, then, thanks, but I probably still wouldn’t read it. I’m sure he won’t take offence at that!
“Since I came out, everybody has asked me about Matt, and I get it. But for me, there was so much more to the jungle than Matt Hancock.
“No one has ever asked me about Jill – a legend and the kindest, most amazing person, who has no idea just how incredible she is. I want to celebrate Jill. I don’t want to talk about Matt any more.”
Deal.
Upon coming out of the jungle, Scarlette was given the terrible news about her A Place In The Sun co-host Jonnie Irwin’s terminal cancer, which means he has only months to live.
She messaged him privately, but was attacked for not posting about it publicly – a criticism she finds baffling.
“The first thing I did was message Jonnie to send him my love, say I was here if he needed anything and that I hoped he was able to create as many beautiful memories as possible.
“I’m not going to go on social media and tag him with a message, because that, to me, is false.
‘Family affair’
“People were saying: ‘I can’t believe you’ve not messaged your friend.’ But what’s done behind closed doors is more personal, I don’t have to do it for the world to see it, because it’s not about everyone else, it’s about Jonnie.”
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Fortunately, Scarlette is unfazed by the keyboard warriors – she’s level-headed about most things in life and her close-knit family help keep her grounded, too.
Older brothers Andrew, 42, and Stuart, 44, are her PR and business partner respectively (they have a property firm together), dad Joe is her driver, mum Beverly is her seamstress and hairdresser, Stuart’s wife Lisa is her make-up artist and Andrew’s wife Joanna is her stylist.
It’s a good job they all get along…
“Oh, me and my brothers clash all the time!” Scarlette says. “I’ve come from musical theatre, so I’m very ‘jazz hands’, whereas Stuart and especially Andrew are a lot more subtle.
“But whenever we disagree, we know that it’s always coming from a great place. It’s a family affair and I wouldn’t be doing any of this if it wasn’t for my mum, dad and my brothers.”
Scarlette says she always sets goals at New Year, and one of them for 2023 is to work in the States. There are also tentative plans to release her own music – some, perhaps, with new pal Boy George.
“I will never box myself into just one thing,” she says. “I want to show young girls that look like me that you can do whatever you want. You can do it all.”
- Watch My Dream Derelict Home In The Sun on Discovery+ now.
In the makeup chair with Scarlette Howes
What are your skincare heroes?
Anything by Kiehl’s Since 1851. I love the Ultra Facial Cream and Toner.
Any make-up bag essentials?
Nars matte foundation, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick.
What’s your best budget buy?
Vaseline. You can use it for everything.
And what do you splurge on?
My hair is where I spend my money.
What’s your top beauty tip?
Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise.
Who’s your beauty icon?
Tina Turner. I saw her at the press night of The Tina Turner Musical and, head to toe, she looked incredible. And Alicia Keys – her skin is off the scale.
Describe your beauty evolution
When I was younger, I was such a tomboy. People used to call me Coolio because my hair was all over the place. But I didn’t care! Now I like nice lipstick. I guess I’ve just become a bit more groomed.