I was bi but scared to date a woman, says GK Barry as she talks marriage plans & the TV show she really wants to go on
IF you tuned into the last series of I’m A Celebrity, it may have been the first time you’d come across campmate GK Barry, but watch out, because 2025 is set to be her year.
Despite a tendency to scream loudly, the 25 year old – full name Grace Keeling – won over jungle viewers with her down-to-earth personality to finish in fifth place.
It is that same relatability that saw Grace go from a normal student to having more than 4 million followers on TikTok, making her a huge fortune that has allowed her to buy her own house and a Porsche.
It’s little wonder she was snapped up by the Loose Women panel last year – and she’s even bagged herself a footballer girlfriend in the process.
“I’m not very academic,” Grace admits.
“But I’m smart in other ways. I can tell a really good story.
“During the pandemic, I started uploading TikTok videos about my uni experiences, exes and nights out, thinking: ‘No one is ever going to see them.’
“Six months later, I’d hit 100k followers, then after a couple of months I’d hit 1 million.
“It was really quick.”
She juggled her growing profile with completing a film studies degree, before doing a masters in digital marketing at Nottingham Trent University, as well as holding down a part-time job at Costa Coffee.
‘I used to be quite obsessive over negative comments – I’d go searching for them’
“I did the masters as I felt I had missed out [on the full uni experience] because of Covid.
“By the time I left uni, I had quit my job as I couldn’t juggle it and TikTok.
“I’d get a message asking me to do an advert halfway through serving a cappuccino!”
Grace, from Soham in Cambridgeshire, says her mum Loretta and stepdad Andrew were concerned she wasn’t following a traditional career path, and questioned how she was going to make money from social media.
“When I started, TikTok wasn’t a job.
“Companies said they didn’t work with TikTokers, then they realised my videos were hitting 2 million views.
“But when I told my parents I was quitting my Costa job to do TikTok full-time, they were like: ‘Absolutely not.’
“They were worried it wouldn’t be sustainable.
“They’ve got used to it now, though.
“It is hard work, but I would not want any other job.
“The only downside is that online comments can be nasty, but the good outweighs the bad.”
Taking part in I’m A Celebrity not only made Grace a household name, but also helped her deal with her fixation on negative comments.
“I used to be quite obsessive over it,” she says.
“I would go searching for them.
“In normal life when you have an insecurity, you think: ‘It’s fine, it’s all in my head’.
“In the public eye, people confirm those insecurities.
“They validate how I felt about myself.
“When I went into the jungle, Jane Moore sat me down and said: ‘Grace, stop reading them.’
“Now I don’t go looking.
“People might have a negative opinion, but they don’t know me.”
Fellow Loose Women panellist and The Sun columnist Jane was a revelation to Grace as, prior to going into the jungle, she was scared of meeting her.
I knew I was going to be the youngest one there, so I didn’t think they’d take me seriously. But it was the complete opposite. Everyone was lovely to me. I just loved it so much
GK Barry
“Despite us both being on Loose Women, I’d never met Jane until she was jumping out of a helicopter,” Grace explains.
“I thought she might be intimidating, but she was my ‘jungle mum’.
“She was so kind and calm with me.
“She was not what I expected at all, but in a really good way.”
And it wasn’t just Jane that Grace worried about meeting in the jungle.
Signing up to appear on the ITV show was a massive profile boost, but she was worried about living alongside a host of top-flight celebrities, including Coleen Rooney, McFly’s Danny Jones, boxer Barry McGuigan and, of course, former ‘80s pop star, presenter and vicar Reverend Richard Coles.
“I thought people wouldn’t really get me or not be nice to me,” she says.
“I knew I was going to be the youngest one there, so I didn’t think they’d take me seriously.
“But it was the complete opposite.
“Everyone was lovely to me.
“I just loved it so much.”
‘Everyone got on in the jungle – that’s pretty much unheard of’
The latest series of I’m A Celebrity was described as the most harmonious ever, with barely a raised voice in camp, and Grace says the love is continuing back home.
“I’ve definitely come out with some really good friends,” she says.
“Everyone got on – that’s pretty much unheard of.
“No one really argued at all.
“We’re in a group chat and give each other updates on our days.
“I’ve become so close with Rev Richard.
“He is so amazing.
“He thought he was gonna have a bromance with a guy, not a 25-year-old lesbian!
“I was having a bit of a tough time before he arrived.
“I didn’t realise how slow the time actually goes.
“Everyone was going: ‘One down, two to go.’
“I didn’t know if I could cope with the boredom and hunger.
“Then he arrived in week two, and distracted me so much, I thought: ‘I can do this.’”
Grace didn’t just learn how to avoid trolls in the jungle, she also learned to appreciate her natural skin and ditch her make-up.
“I have quite bad acne and I was scared people online would take the mick.
“Then I came out of the jungle to all these lovely messages from people saying I made them feel more comfortable about their skin.
“I’m wearing less make-up if I’m not on telly now.
“It’s cleared up so much.
“So, if you’re struggling with your skin, go to Australia and eat rice and beans!”
Grace might have millions of adoring fans now, but growing up, she was relentlessly bullied at school.
She even created her GK Barry alter-ego to protect herself.
Now, she’s having the last laugh.
“I still get imposter syndrome, because I did have a hard time at school,” she admits.
“Some people who were nasty to me have messaged: ‘Oh, you’re smashing it, I remember you at school, blah, blah.’
“I will never reply to them because they had their time to be nice to me.
I was absolutely terrified the first time I was on the panel. I kept thinking: ‘Don’t mess this up.’ But the ladies are so lovely and really took me under their wing, especially Coleen Nolan and Denise Welch
GK Barry
“Since coming out of the jungle, I’ve had such a positive reaction to being myself.
“Before, I’d hide behind GK Barry and I was scared to show my actual self.
“It’s been nice to open up to an older audience in the jungle and on Loose Women and for them to actually like me.”
Grace is the youngest member of the ITV chat show – something she dreamed about for years.
“I was absolutely terrified the first time I was on the panel.
“I kept thinking: ‘Don’t mess this up.’
“But the ladies are so lovely and really took me under their wing, especially Coleen Nolan and Denise Welch.”
As Grace’s profile has soared, so has her sense of responsibility to her followers.
“I’ve got a young audience, so I need to set an example.
“Saying: ‘I won’t have work done,’ is important.
“I want people to see someone in this industry who looks how they’ve always looked.
“I’ve felt pressure to get stuff done, especially comments about my nose.
“But surgery should be because you want it, not because of other people’s opinions.”
She also feels a sense of responsibility to the LGBTQ+ community.
She has talked openly about her relationship with England footballer Ella Rutherford, 24.
“I was nervous because I’d been talking about dating men, then it was like: ‘Actually, I’m a lesbian,’ as you don’t know how people are going to react.
“I know many are scared to come out to their parents.
“Luckily, mine were lovely.
“My grandma is old-fashioned and has always said: ‘When are you going to marry a rich man?’
“But she heard me talk about Ella on Loose Women and she was alright with it.
“I’ve had so many messages saying: ‘You gave me the confidence to come out after 20 years.’”
It was meeting Ella, who plays for Ipswich Town, that solidified Grace’s sexuality.
‘I knew I was bi, but I was really scared to date a woman’
“I knew I was bi, but I was really scared to date a woman, and I was really terrified to meet Ella.
“We had a mutual friend.
“I looked at her Instagram and I thought: ‘Look at the calves on that! There’s no way I’m letting her go.’
“So I plucked up the courage and went on a date.
“It was the best decision ever.
“We have been inseparable since.
“Sometimes she does drive me up the wall, but with love, of course!
“When I first met her, all she would eat was mince and eggs, which was a bit of an ick.
“But I cook her dinner now.
“It’s nice to have a sporty girlfriend – also, she doesn’t drink, so I can get drunk as she’s the designated driver.
“It’s a good balance.”
The pair have discussed tying the knot and having kids – but not for a while.
“One day, it’s going to happen,” she says.
“Not yet.
“We’re both set on doing well in our careers.
“Then she’ll get down on one knee!”
Despite constantly discussing how she couldn’t wait to snog her girlfriend when she left the jungle, when she did leave, she decided to wait until they had some privacy.
I want to do 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown. I’d love to be Stacey Dooley’s prodigy and do documentaries. I think it’s going to be a really exciting year. I just want fingers in a lot of pies
GK Barry
“It was such a surprise to see her at the end of the bridge.
“I saw all the cameras and thought: ‘Maybe we’ll wait.’”
Although one thing she didn’t keep private is discussing a lesbian sex act on the show with Rev Richard – and she cannot believe they aired it.
“The first thing my mum said to me was: ‘We heard about scissoring.’
“I thought when I was having this conversation with Richard it would be too dirty to air.
“I’ve had so many messages saying they’ve had to explain it to their mums!
“I don’t know if there’s any brand deals I can get around that. Probably not!”
Still, brand deal or not, there are other plans afoot.
She had a minor part on the new Netflix series Missing You, and will also be reuniting with Rev Richard.
“You will be seeing more of me and The Rev. And I’m doing another tour as well.
“I want to do 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
“I’d love to be Stacey Dooley’s prodigy and do documentaries.
“I think it’s going to be a really exciting year.
“I just want fingers in a lot of pies.”
And, after meeting her, we have no doubt she will have.
Grace’s podcast, Saving Grace, is available on all podcast providers now.