The beautiful advice Anthony Callea gave to Casey Donovan before she entered the jungle.

After more than 40 days stranded in the South African jungle, Casey Donovan, winner of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, is finally free from the bugs and the mud and the camp beds and the testicle-eating challenges.

The former Australian Idol winner was crowned ‘Queen of the Jungle’ in last night’s finale, and spoke to GOLD 104.3’s Jo & Lehmo about her experience this morning. She said she received advice from Aria Award winning singer, Anthony Callea, before entering the jungle.

“He just said ‘look just have a give it a crack’,” the 28-year-old told the radio show. “[He said] ‘nothing could be harder than Idol‘.”

Listen: How Casey Donovan beat all the odds and won I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Donovan and Callea were both competitors on Idol in the 2004 season. Donovan took out the top spot, becoming the youngest ever Idol winner at 16.

Certainly, both experiences must have been trying. But who would have thought 40 days in the South African jungle with a bunch of not-sure-what-they’re-doing-there celebrities would ever be described as ‘easier’?

Donovan said dealing with her anxiety was one of the main reasons for going on the show."I didn't know how many fears I had before I went in there," she told GOLD 104.3.

Donovan has spoken previously about her anxiety, saying it started in 2015 and she was hospitalised three times last year. She described her panic episodes as feeling like heart attacks.

"In some ways [being in the jungle] really did conquer my anxiety," Donovan said this morning. "But in other ways it made me feel a little bit depleted at times. Waking up and wondering what you're going to do for the day [was hard]. Definitely I think I faced my fears."

"I do feel on top of the world," she continued. "I can't wait to get home and celebrate with friends and family and it's so great to have my mother here."

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Donovan said she learnt a lot about herself during her time at camp.

"I've discovered I'm a very open and honest person," she said. "Most times you just forget you're surrounded by cameras, as weird as that sounds. [I found myself] not having that filter of 'oh maybe that was a bit too honest'."

"It's good that other people in the world can see my experience and open up a bit more," she continued. "It's always  about getting conversations started and not being afraid of what has happened to you."

More than anything, however, Donovan did not expect to win.

"I was just happy to get through the first week to be quite honest with you," she said. "I did not expect to come out on top. It's an amazing feeling but boy, was it hard."