Fatima Whitbread is a world javelin champion, world record holder, and two-time Olympic medallist. After her athletic career, she led the Chafford Hundred Elite Runners Club, which included notable athletes like Linford Christie and Dame Kelly Holmes. Fatima has served as a school governor, is a qualified javelin coach, and has reported extensively from the Olympics.
She gained fame as the last woman standing on I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here and won Come Dine with Me in 2011. Fatima also participated in a celebrity edition of Total Wipeout and explored her family history on My Secret Past. She has appeared on This Morning, A Question of Sport, The Wright Stuff, Celebrity Blockbusters, and Through the Keyhole with Keith Lemon. Additionally, she co-hosted the BBC Learning Campaign, Olympic Give an Hour.
Fatima was a contestant on the popular ITV series Eternal Glory. She participated in Pilgrimage: The Road to Istanbul on BBC Two, where she joined six other celebrities on a 2,200-km journey across Eastern Europe. In 2022, she appeared on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, where she broke three ribs during a challenge but continued to compete.
Most recently, Fatima finished third in I’m a Celebrity South Africa, a special edition featuring favourite contestants from previous series. She has launched the ‘Fatima’s UK Campaign’ to support children in care and care leavers, helping them build self-worth and confidence through essential resources and guidance.
Her bestselling autobiography, Fatima: The Autobiography of Fatima Whitbread, was published in 1989, followed by Survivor in July 2012, which shares her inspirational journey. Fatima is a captivating speaker, sharing her experiences as an Olympic medallist and her television career, from I’m a Celebrity to her recent documentaries.