Rebekah Vardy's Christmas heartache without husband Jamie

Chatting while sporting a pair of sparkly red reindeer antlers, playfully placed on her head by one of her children on their way to school , Rebekah Vardy has been keeping busy. The mother of Olivia, four, Finley, seven, and 10 year old Sofia with her Leicester City striker husband Jamie (she also has Taylor, 14, and Megan, 19, from a previous relationship) has had a full plate. In addition to her candid newspaper column about I'm A Celeb, which concluded dramatically on Sunday night with Danny Jones being crowned King of the Jungle and Becky's arch-rival Coleen Rooney finishing as runner-up, the 42 year old opens up about her mixed-feeling festive plans.

For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter . She remains tight-lipped about Coleen but shares details about a new alcohol-infused collaboration with former I'm A Celeb campmate Dennis Wise, inspired by her husband's own recipe, and the couple's 'legendary house parties'..



.. Rebekah, are you in the Christmas spirit? I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, so we didn't celebrate Christmas .

Now, we make it extra special for the children, reports OK! We go all out on decorations, but not on presents - that's not what Christmas is about. It's about having the kids off school, creating memories and establishing traditions that the kids will carry into their own lives when they have families. Does Jamie's work ever make this time of year challenging? Football dominates our Christmas, making it a challenging time for us.

Jamie is essentially away for the entire festive period. It's tough, especially for the kids, but we understand that it's his job and we're incredibly proud of him. I always say, control the controllables.

We make do with what we have. We'll spend a few hours with him on Christmas Day, but he won't be around for the Christmas dinner. He'll then be off to training, followed by a trip to Liverpool on Christmas night for a Boxing Day match at 8pm.

He won't return home until the early hours of 27th December. His departure must be difficult..

.. Indeed, it's harder for him than for me as he has to say goodbye while I stay home with the kids.

His absence definitely changes the atmosphere. The kids are quite upset when he leaves. However, my dad Carlos is here to cheer everyone up and cause a bit of chaos - he's absolutely bonkers! Can you tell us about your new vodka collaboration with Denis Wise, inspired by Jamie? Years ago, as Jamie has documented in his book, we used to make Skittles vodka at home.

We'd put the sweets in vodka and let it infuse for several weeks. We'd buy huge multi-packs of various sweets from Costco, sort them by colour, and then add them to the vodka! How did this idea come about? I think it was one of those wild moments - we were after something unique, and we do enjoy experimenting with alcohol for our friends. We're known for hosting the best parties - the Vardys certainly know how to throw a party! People genuinely enjoy them.

We just love having a good time, life's too short - and you never know what's round the corner. And why was Jamie a source of inspiration for this? It was a staple drink during Leicester's Premier League title-winning season. Everyone used to enjoy it at our place.

The night they clinched the Premiere league, we served it at home, so that was it - it became our signature drink. Now, that party was..

. unbelievable. It's almost ten years ago now, but when people ask me about it, I still get goosebumps.

They were such a tight-knit team. They were always the underdogs - Jamie's always been seen as the underdog - so to achieve something so extraordinary in the world of football was magical. And boy, did we celebrate.

All the lads came to ours - it was the party of the century. So, who's the biggest party animal - you or Jamie? You know, as I get older, I can't keep up! It's so challenging with kids as well - you're still waking up early in the morning. You can't do what you used to.

As the saying goes, I may be able to party like a rock star, but I sure can't recover like one. You and Denis Wise collaborated on this vodka venture. You got along well in the jungle, didn't you? Oh, we're incredibly close.

We first met on I'm A Celeb in 2017, and given Denis's history with Leicester, the bosses probably anticipated some friction between us, expecting disagreements and arguments. However, the reality was completely different; we became great friends. We've kept in touch since then, even going on family holidays together.

.. That's what made that series so special for me.

The bonds you form are truly remarkable. What are your most memorable moments from the show? The entire experience is unforgettable. You think you know what to expect, but until you're actually there, you don't realise how challenging it is.

I entered the show thinking it would be a breeze - they'd sneak me bananas, jelly beans...

But oh my, it's nothing like that. It's incredibly tough. You have an abundance of time to sit, ponder and reflect on life.

The sheer boredom can be unbearable! Especially when the weather is dismal. But we got along splendidly, and I still look back on it as an extraordinary experience. You've been subjected to trolling over the years.

How do you handle that? With the prevalence of cyber-bullying, it's crucial that we address it. Individuals need to be held more accountable for their words. The situation appears to be escalating out of control, and I found it extremely challenging.

How can one utter such cruel words about someone they don't even know? I witness it constantly, anyone in the public eye is a huge target. However, as I aged, I began to understand what truly mattered. And what doesn't matter to me is what some anonymous keyboard warrior has to say about me, my family or my character.

I can assure you, they wouldn't dare utter these things to my face! Are you concerned about your children growing up in the era of social media? It terrifies me. I'd love to rewind time and impose a minimum age limit for social media use. Children today are far too engrossed in what's happening online.

Jamie and I enforce strict rules with our kids. They're only permitted to use their iPads for an hour once they've showered, completed their homework and are ready for bed. Of course, my eldest, Megan, is nearly 20 so I can't control what she does.

But witnessing what I've endured is incredibly important for her. In what way? She's learned that no matter how kind you are, someone will always have an opinion about you. It's not necessary to live life expecting everyone to like you, because it simply won't happen.

And that's perfectly fine. As long as you remain true to yourself and stand up for your beliefs, while being respectful and well-mannered, you'll go far in life. When complimented on her appearance and compared to Cheryl by fans, she responded.

...

Well, I keep myself quite busy and try to take care of myself. There just aren't enough hours in the day! I did notice the comparison to Cheryl. She's a beautiful woman, so I consider that a massive compliment.

When asked about her plans for 2025, she replied...

. I don't make New Year's resolutions, they're nonsense - if I have goals, they're year-round. However, there are exciting things coming up that, frustratingly, I can't discuss yet - apologies! The new vodka is my main focus.

We're in discussions with major international distributors, we want to make it a huge success. We might introduce a few new flavours - perhaps we'll even launch a different spirit with sweets..

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