I'm A Celebrity star GK Barry has opened up about her mental health struggles, admitting she was 'so scared' as she spoke out on her lifelong health battle
12:57, 27 Oct 2025
From viral TikTok clips watched by millions to mainstream TV triumph, GK Barry appears to possess endless self-confidence.
But the Cambridge-born content creator has revealed that for years, she's been concealing a private battle with debilitating anxiety.
"Before uni I couldn't even get on public transport," she revealed to the Daily Mail.
"I remember the first day I went up to visit Nottingham ahead of going to university, my parents said, 'Let's get a tram.' I cried on the tram. It was tragic. I was so scared."
Born Grace Keeling, part of the tactic that enables her to compete in high-stakes settings like Loose Women and I'm A Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here! is her GK Barry alias.
Grace's professional name combines her own initials with the family name of her closest friend, Tatiana Barry.
"Social interaction gives me anxiety, but when I go into a place as GK Barry I can just switch on the confidence," she explains.
Her stage name provided her with "a lot more confidence" when she initially began sharing her TikTok clips about lockdown life, chaotic family situations and romantic mishaps.
"I didn't really know myself as much and was definitely worried about what other people thought of me," she recalls.
"I quite like having a different name, because it also gives me a little bit of an alter-ego to have a little bit more confidence when I do shows."
Grace, a 26-year-old former Costa Coffee employee and film studies student at Nottingham Trent University, saw her life change dramatically when she gained over a million followers within a year of posting her first video.
She then launched her podcast, Saving Grace, where she interviews celebrities like Gogglebox's George Baggs and football star Ella Rutherford, who happens to be Grace's girlfriend.
Being in a relationship with Ella has boosted her confidence, Grace revealed: "She really loves me.
"I'd never dated a woman before and was really anxious to hold her hand in public. But Ella is like, 'Who cares what people think?' I'm definitely more confident now in that respect."
Before entering the I'm A Celebrity jungle, Grace confessed she was terrified, admitting: "My acne was bad then and I thought viewers would be going, 'Oh my God, look at her skin.'".
However, she told The Times that the response was overwhelmingly positive: "Afterwards mums would come up and thank me for normalising acne for their teenage daughters. I do love mums."