Shirtless Joel Mawhinney cuts a healthy figure at the beach

## Shirtless I'm A Celebrity host Joel Mawhinney cuts a happy and healthy figure as he continues to showcase weight loss while hitting the beach with a female friend

He reportedly 'lost a stone' in weight following his addiction battle and subsequent stay in rehab, earlier this year.

And showcasing his slimmer physique as he hit the beach in Australia, Joel Mawhinney, 23, cut a happy and healthy figure during his jaunt by the sea on Saturday.

The shirtless star was joined by a member of his management team as he took to the waves, along with his best pal Richie Driss and his wife Cat Sandion and a slew of other friends.

Having wrapped another successful live episode of I'm A Celebrity, Joel and Richie made sure to make the most of the rest of their day over in Australia and headed to the beach with friends.

The duo are currently staying Down Under while working on the much-loved reality series and already developing impressive tans due to the sunshine overseas, Joel was seen parading his already bronzed frame in a pair of blue swimming trunks.

Appearing relaxed and content, the magician was pictured enjoying a refreshing dip in the sea with a female friend and the duo appeared to be entertained by the huge waves.

Richie, meanwhile, favoured a pair of green swimming trunks and was seen carrying out his own Baywatch-inspired run, as he made his way back up onto the sand following his swim.

His wife Cat cut a stylish figure in a red bikini and a loosely fitted white kaftan that she threw over her two-piece. She has joined her beau and Joel over in Oz this year, while Joel's wife Katy Ashworth, 34, has remained in the UK due to her working commitments with Strictly Come Dancing.

Joel's appearance on the beach comes after it was revealed he has lost a stone in weight, after embarking on a healthier and fitter lifestyle following his stint in rehab.

He had sought treatment to overcome and battle his two-year addiction to painkillers following a devastating knee injury and fertility issues.

A source told The Mirror: 'The last couple of months have been about him getting back to the Joel people know and love, and he has been exercising the knee, eating more healthily and drinking a lot less.'

Speaking of the Joel - who checked into rehab in June - a source admitted: 'He put on some weight and looked tired and had bags under his eyes.'

But with a visibly slimmed down Joel appearing on ITV screens on Sunday night, it was divulged: 'The results of all that, and work in the gym, are there for all to see now. He has lost up to a stone in weight and looks better than he has for years.'

Following much speculation over whether or not he would return to I'm A Celebrity, Joel was seen kicking off this year's series live on air with Richie last Sunday and telling his co-star: 'I was always going to make it.'

The pair addressed concerns he could have been absent from the series in their usually witty style, with Joel immediately opening the show by joking he had been joined by Mwaksy Mudenda.

He said to viewers: 'I'm here with the gorgeous Mwaksy Mudenda...' before adding in mock horror: 'Wait, no! Guys that's the wrong script! You've put the wrong script in!'

Turning to Joel, who was stood in mock outrage, Richie continued the joke by stating, in reference to his pal's rehab stint: 'No one was sure if you would make it or not!'

Confirming to fans he was better than ever however, the famous Geordie assured: 'I was always going to make it, come on.'

He then added excitedly: 'I'm back my friend!', before the pair sweetly hugged, to the applause of the production crew.

Joel found himself inundated with compliments about his healthy appearance on the show, with many fans taking in their droves to Twitter to express their delight at having him back on their screens.

One kicked things off by writing: 'Joel so good to see you, Richie you too again on our TV screens' as another added: 'Glad you're back Joel. Wouldn't be the same without you.'

A further fan praised Joel for his bravery over the last few months, writing: 'So great to see Joel back where he belongs, it takes a very brave person to publicly go through what he has and come back even stronger...'

While another said of their famous on screen relationship: 'When Joel said ‘Ofcourse I’m back’ and him and Richie hugged- it was so emosh!! Can’t not love these pair!!'

Later on, the pair joked about his summer once again, with Richie probing his co-host: 'Where were you all summer anyway? What were you doing?'

Breaking out into giggles and awkwardly sipping into his tea, Joel simply laughed in response: 'I was just dead busy!'

Joel has suffered a difficult 2020, after admitting in June he had been battling a two-year addiction to painkillers after a devastating knee injury and fertility issues.

Joel revealed his plans to check in to rehab for alcohol and drug addiction, when he gave a candid interview to The Sun admitting he had 'let people down', before thanking his wife Katy and co-star Richie for the support they had provided.

While Katy hasn't joined Joel, who celebrated his 23rd birthday overseas recently,

While he hasn't been joined by wife Katy out in Oz, due to her working commitments on Strictly Come Dancing as a make-up artist, she made sure to hit back at the speculation, breaking her silence on the duo's rumoured 'marriage woes'.

Katy had hit back at the long-running reports that the duo have separated by taking to Twitter, as she penned on the microblogging site: 'I'm not estranged, thank you'.

Her defiant message also touched on her absence in Australia, as she added the hashtags: '#haventbeentoOzfor10years #ihaveajob #allaloadofmadeups\*\*t #imnotestrangedthank-you #asyouwere'.

Meanwhile, I'm A Celebrity viewers have seen two new arrivals enter camp comedian Ian Lee and politician Kezia Dugdale. While the camp had been split into two following their addition, with Iain and Kezia fronting each team, they have now all been reunited in Croc Creek.

The two teams had been forced to battle it out in trials, with Iain's team coming out victorious and secretly winning care packages for those that had been banished to Snake Rock.

The care packages had been sent from the celebrities' friends and family, with Stanley Johnson receiving a block of cheese, Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo being given a bottle of fake tan and Rebekah Vardy opened a pillow covered in photographs of her husband Jamie and their children.

While Joel and Richie are fronting the main show, Joe Swash has returned to present I'm A Celebrity's spin-off show Extra Camp, alongside last year's jungle winner Scarlett Moffatt and runner-up Baby Dommett.

Joe had found himself at the centre of rumours he was feuding with Joel, after the pair appeared to have a tense exchange on the ITV2 show, but laughing off the claims and joking it had been 'sexual tension'.

Asked by Richie if they had 'beef', Joel and Small were quick to insist there is no bad blood between them and hugged live on air.