I'm a Celeb frozen out as viewers tune into football

LONDON - The first eviction night on 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' pulled in a disappointing average audience of 5.8m viewers, as BBC One's live coverage of the England match trounced its rival channels with 11.2m viewers.

'I'm a Celebrity...', in which former 'EastEnders' actor Marc Bannerman became the first contestant to be voted out by viewers, was watched by a 22.8% share of the audience in the 9pm-10.30pm slot, according to unofficial overnight figures.

Bannerman became unpopular with viewers after engaging in a flirtatious relationship with fellow contestant Cerys Matthews, the Welsh pop singer, despite having a girlfriend in London.

Previous instalments of 'I'm a Celebrity...' have been drawing audiences of around 6.5m viewers in this series.

BBC One's coverage of England's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Croatia, which prevented the nation qualifying for the 2008 European Championship, attracted a 42.4% share of the audience in the 7.30pm-10pm slot.

Earlier in the evening, the new series of Channel 4's 'How to Look Good Naked', in which women who are unsatisfied with their body shape receive advice from stylist Gok Wan, continues to be a ratings hit for the channel.

The show, which was scheduled in the 8pm-9pm slot, pulled in 2.8m viewers and a 10.4% share of the audience.

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