Kris Smith on I’m a Celebrity ... : Nigel Wright

Forced detox from everyday life as a contestant on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! gave the Myer ambassador time to process the more than 25 years of self-doubt and insecurity that has haunted him from an early age.

“It has been an underlying issue for me for the majority of my life to be honest. I was heavy as a kid and that inner kid still lives on in me and I feel insecure about how I look constantly,” Smith told News Corp after being eliminated from the popular Channel Ten reality show.

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Time in the jungle has allowed him to face his inner demons. Picture: Nigel WrightSource:Channel 10

“I have very little self confidence in my achievements and ability and I disguise that quite well with some people. Five weeks in the jungle with nothing but me and my own head has given me time to start the overcoming process of that. I feel in a great place now, happy and comfortable with who I am, with how I am as a person and that is one of the main things I’ve taken from this show.”

It is a strong statement from Smith, 38, who is a male model and television presenter who lost 6.5kgs from the basic diet of beans and rice in camp and now weighs 93.5kgs.

Despite his chiselled looks, his personal and professional life has been plagued by self-doubt.

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Kris Smith and Keira Maguire post elimination from I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! Picture: Channel Ten/Nigel Wright.Source:Channel 10

“The way I look in the mirror was always second rate,” he explained. “It has ruined a lot of my life, ruined a lot of my relationships because I’ve put pressure on them because I’m not happy in myself. It has ruined a lot of everything and five weeks does not by any means solve that but it does give me a process to start, a building block I can start with on the outside world.”

Smith, who has a six-year-old son with ex-partner Dannii Minogue, has confirmed he and ex-girlfriend, model Maddy King, are trying to work their relationship out.

Maddy King and Kris Smith. Picture: Ken ButtiSource:Supplied

“The main priority is for me to keep working on me but yeah if someone else comes into my life or someone that is already in my life and we can work things out, then yeah I love being with someone and I love making someone smile and having that partnership with really sparks flying is great.”

* The journalist is in South Africa as a guest of Channel Ten.