SELF-STYLED jungle babe Nancy Sorrell, a former at West Hatch High School, Chigwell, has the support of her pals back home to be crowned queen of the jungle.

The model, who is married to comic Vic Reeves, skydived 12,000ft into the Australian outback during a rainstorm to rough it in ITV1's reality show I'm a Celebrity.

One of her former classmates, Catherine Friend, 30, told the Guardian: "She was in my year at school and she was quiet, clever and was always interested in modelling. She is a beautiful, down-to-earth girl, and always has time for a chat when I see her. I hope she wins I'm a Celebrity."

But Nancy, whose family lived in Lambourne Road, Chigwell, has already broken down in tears on the first day of the reality programme. The ex-lapdancer said it was because she is missing her husband.

Before going into the outback the model said she might even make clothes out of leaves and hinted she might even launch her own jungle lingerie' range when she came home.

She told a national newspaper: "I want to design my own range of underwear so when I'm out there I'll try and design it with some twigs and leaves, then model it. To keep people entertained I could show them a bit of cheerleading, do the routine, do a bit of singing."

Nancy has also said she is worried about the trials and what she may have to face after last year's show saw celebrities ex-Atomic Kitten star Kerry McFadden, model Jordan, and ex-BBC royal correspondent Jenny Bond eating grubs and insects.

She said: "I'm concerned about the Bushtucker Trials, it has to be said. I will get Ant or Dec to eat a witchety grub if it kills me."