Why Australia has leaned so hard into Liz Ellis' story.

Liz Ellis is a queen.

She always has been, mind you – it’s just that TV land has made it official, with the former Aussie netball captain taking out the win on the ninth season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.

But while hosts Julia Morris and Dr Chris Brown handed her the physical crown, it was the Australian public’s votes that got our gal over the line.

"Finally, I’m a queen!" the triumphant ruler cried as she accepted her place in reality TV history.

"I will so lord this over everybody!"

As she darn well should.

Watch: Liz Ellis shares her excitement after being crowned queen of the jungle.

Honestly, we were gunning for Queen Liz from the start.

It’s no secret we, as a nation, love a sporting hero. But given Ellis hasn’t hit a professional netball court in 16 years, it wasn’t her ball skills that made her an instant fan favourite on the show and shot her to the win.

Ellis’ candid confessions, her unadulterated openness, and the casual ease with which she carried herself in every moment, owning her uniqueness, are what made her so gosh-darn likeable, and frankly, relatable – and these are the qualities that ultimately had audiences (ahem, us) hooked.

The way the former Australian Diamonds team captain endeared herself to not only her campmates but the entirety of the TV-watching Australian public was something we haven’t seen in recent years, with past winners seeming to prefer to play up the ‘lovable larrikin’ vibe to full effect.

But it was Ellis’ raw discussions about everything from her heartbreaking experiences with miscarriage and IVF, to her decision to embrace her naturally greying hair, that made her the hero of the season. 

Speaking about her fertility journey, Ellis confided in her camp mates that she’d had several miscarriages before undergoing five rounds of IVF.

"When [Evelyn, now 11] was born, the obstetrician said 'You're old, if you want another one you've gotta start trying straight away' and it took us five years to fall pregnant.

"We did IVF, I had three miscarriages," Ellis added.

"We did five rounds, and it was so expensive, and the little bastard came along naturally," she said of her journey to finally welcoming her son, Austin, now seven.

In speaking so candidly, the 50-year-old delivered exactly what we’ve been craving: women’s stories. But not just any old stories. Ellis shared a much-needed snapshot of what life is like for women in midlife – a group that is often made to feel invisible, voiceless, yet who have opinions, ideas, and experiences that need to be heard.

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With the serious nature of the topics she often touched on in the jungle, Ellis is clearly the very epitome of ‘keeping it real’. But it turns out, she’s also funny as heck (and let’s not pretend we don’t love a lol).

“If you're wondering – like I am – why I might have said yes to going into the jungle and doing I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, let me tell you a little story,” she shared in an Instagram reel. 

“So my little girl, as soon as I got asked, she said, ‘Yeah, Mum, you have to do it, you have to do it.’ When I said I wasn't really sure – because my first answer was no – she said, ‘What are you worried about?’ I said, ‘Well, I'm worried about what other people will think – whether I'll be judged for doing a reality TV show.’ 

"And she said, But mum, you tell me not to be scared about what other people think. And I thought, ‘That is so true. I can't be worried about what other people think I'm going to take this great adventure.’”

Aww. So far, so touching, right? 

Ellis continued, “So the moral of the story is NOT to not worry about what other people think; it is, in fact, to not to teach your kids things that will come back and bite you – because one day you'll find yourself in the jungle.”

All hail Liz!

Feature image: Instagram/imacelebrityau; Channel 10.

Alix Nicholson is Mamamia's Managing Editor. Want to catch more of her adventures in travel, beauty and lifestyle? Head on over to her Instagram.

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