FORMER Brain of Bolton Anne Hegerty has been revealed as one of the contestants heading into the jungle in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!.

Anne is best known as one of the stars of ITV quiz show The Chase, but locally she is a familiar face on the Bolton quiz circuit as a member of the Bob's Smithy team who play on Monday evenings in the Bolton Premier Quiz League.

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She has won the league's Brain of Bolton competition three times, in 2012, 2013 and 2015, but over the next few weeks she will need to prove her bottle as well as her brains as she faces all manner of creepy crawlies and scary challenges Down Under.

60-year-old Anne, who lives in Manchester, is a familiar face on teatime television, where she is one of the Chasers on the popular ITV show The Chase and is nicknamed The Governess by host Bradley Walsh.

Fellow Chaser Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan, who lives in Horwich, plays alongside Anne for the Bob's Smithy in Chorley Old Road, having previously been based at The Albert pub in Horwich.

Anne says she is not going on I'm A Celebrity to lose weight, but accepts that basic rations are "part of the deal".

She said: "I think I have put on weight over the past year and I am not going in to lose weight.

"I have always refused to do sugar-free diets but this is part of the deal and so let's go for it."

She said she is not usually very active or outdoorsy so is looking forward to a bit of exercise.

"I was the world's worst Brownie and Girl Guide and I never did camping," she said.

"I am pretty sedentary and I spend most of my time sitting on my bum reading things on the internet!

"It will do me good to have to exercise a little bit more."

It is the second year running that Bolton has strong interest in the ITV show, which last year featured boxer Amir Khan.

Amir entertained audiences with his antics, reaching the final five despite screaming in fear during a number of close encounters with some of the critters. Afterwards he admitted he had "learned a lot" while in the jungle.

The show will this year be presented by Declan Donnelly and Holly Willoughby, who is standing in while regular host Ant McPartlin takes a break.

Also taking part as contestants this year are Harry Redknapp, Sair Khan, Nick Knowles, Fleur East, James McVey, Malique Thompson-Dwyer, Emily Atack, John Barrowman and Rita Simons.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! starts on Sunday on ITV.