Nigel Farage poses with girlfriend Laure Ferrari after coming third on I’m A Celebrity

Nigel Farage was met by his girlfriend Laure Ferrari after coming in third place on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

After being interviewed by hosts Ant McParlin and Declan Donnelly, the former UKIP leader, 59, exited the jungle and was met by French politician Ferrari.

The couple embraced and smiled for the cameras, marking their first public appearance together.

The pair have been rumoured to be linked since 2017 when she moved into his home as a lodger. Farage split from his wife of 18 years, Kirsten, that year.

The couple initially met some ten years earlier when Ferrari, 44, was working as a waitress in Strasbourg. Farage later gave her a job in politics, as parliamentary assistant in charge of environmental issues in the UK. She later headed up a Eurosceptic think tank that was accused of diverting funds to UKIP before the referendum.

On Sunday night, Farage came third on the reality television show.

He lost out to reality star and radio presenter Sam Thompson, who was crowned King of the Jungle, and former professional boxer Tony Bellew, who came second.

On hearing the news he would be leaving the jungle, the former Brexit Party leader said: “Thank you very much,” and to his fellow finalists he added: “Well done, boys.”

Speaking to Ant and Dec, Farage revealed why he decided to take part in the show this year, having been asked in previous years.

“I had time to do it and I’m 60 next birthday and going to reach an age where you can’t do it,” he said.

“This is very physical, bringing buckets of water, doing the challenges, so now was the right time to do it and I’m very pleased I did.

“I did my best to show no fear at all in the challenges.”

Speaking on the topic of Brexit, he added: “It was interesting, obviously there were people there that took very different views on Brexit and other subjects and I never raised one political debate in there.

“Not one in the whole time I was there – others did with me, but I think I managed to persuade them that we should respect the right of the other person to have a different point of view.

“I had no screaming arguments, I mean Fred wanted to have screaming arguments, he kept on sort of poking me with a stick.”

Earlier in the episode, Farage kept a cool head while he was locked in the “panic pit”, an underground metal box filled with snakes, for his final bushtucker trial.

He joked: “Lots of people would like the snake to strangle me, I suppose. Their dream might come true.”

Asked where he was going “in his head”, he said: “I’m thinking about things I’ve done in my life that were worse than this,” adding he was thinking about the plane crash he was in.

Asked if he had dealt with a lot of snakes in his time, he said: “European Parliament was stuffed with them, terrible lot.”

Following the finale, Farage defended his £1.5million I’m A Celebrity fee as he appeared on Monday’s Good Morning Britain.

Asked by host Susanna Reid if the £1.5million contract was a motivator for signing up to the jungle, he replied: “The money of course! What’s wrong with that?

“I gave up a very successful career in the city of London. My friends are on the rich list, and I live a modest life, I gave it up for a career in politics. Is this the biggest pay check I have ever had? Yes, what’s wrong with that.”