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I’m a Celebrity contestant narrowly missed Omagh bombing

Jordan North is winning stars and friends on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
Jordan North is winning stars and friends on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Jordan North is winning stars and friends on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

I’M A Celebrity contestant Jordan North has revealed he was in Omagh the day of the 1998 bombing and narrowly missed being caught up in the tragedy.

The 30-year-old Radio 1 presenter, who is the bookie’s favourite to win the ITV reality show, which is set in Wales this year, said he and his family lived in the Co Tyrone town for three years as his father, a British soldier, was stationed there with the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment.

He said on the day of the bomb, on August 15 1998, he and his family had been due to go into town but didn’t.

“I’m one of four boys and my mum said we were all playing up,” said Jordan. “It was in the middle of the summer holidays and it was hot.

But my mum said, ‘I’m not going into town with these lot. They’re doing my head in’, so we decided to go for a walk”.

Jordan said he and his family were in Gortin Glen when the bomb went off. “We heard it from there,” he said. “It was an awful time. Dad rushed us all into the car because he knew we had to be back on camp.

“I remember I was only eight years old and it was one of the first times I felt really sad”.

The radio host was talking about his experience on Lockdown Lowdown, a BBC Radio Ulster threepart series.

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