King of the Jungle Joe Swash has been forced to bow out of the Kent panto he's starring in for several days due to illness.

The ex-EastEnders star has temporarily pulled out of his role as Buttons in Cinderella after being struck down with flu.

Joe, 26, is thought to have fallen ill just hours before he was due on stage at The Central Theatre, Chatham on Monday.

He also missed three performances on Tuesday (23rd). A spokesman for the theatre said it was hoped Joe will be well enough to return on Wednesday.

The I’m A Celebrity winner has been replaced by an understudy.

Joe's absence will be a big disappointment to his young fans. The cheeky London actor has proved a big hit with audiences, despite only having a few days to rehearse following his triumphant return from the jungle.

Joe's understudy is the show's director David Janson who stood in for Joe during early rehearsals. Janson starred in Keeping Up Appearances as Michael the Postman.

Producer Emily Wood said: "David knows the part back to front. He has gone down really well, the audience love him.

"We had a full house on Monday night and only 10 per cent, about 75 people, requested their tickets be changed to another night.

"Joe has got a bug which a lot of the other cast members have suffered from, it can't be helped, especially at this time of year."

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