An intruder was removed from the set of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! after a security breach at the castle, ITV has said.

It is understood the intrusion happened earlier in the week, before adverse weather conditions forced the show to pre-record an episode on Friday as Storm Arwen battered the UK with winds as high as 98mph.

A statement from the programme said: “A security breach was identified and an intruder was removed from the location with immediate effect.

“The safety of both our celebrities and our production crew remains our primary concern.”

It has been an eventful first week at Gwrych Castle in North Wales, where the programme is being filmed for a second year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday Richard Madeley announced he was leaving the show after he was taken to hospital as a precaution when he fell ill in the early hours of the morning.

The TV star later said he felt “fit as a fiddle” and was “gutted” that Covid restrictions meant he was not able to return to the show.

Friday’s episode of the ITV series was the first to be pre-recorded due to the weather conditions.

Co-hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly recorded their links early in the evening as part of “precautionary measures” put in place by ITV following severe storm warnings.

The duo posted a video from outside the castle ahead of the show, with the wind whipping and roaring in the background.

“You’ve probably heard we’ve had to record the show a bit earlier tonight because of the winds here at Storm Arwen,” said Donnelly.

“It’s bad, isn’t it, it’s really windy. You can hear it, it’s rattling the tent, it might blow this away, so we’ve got to get it done and get out of here,” said McPartlin.

“It’s due to get worse later so everyone is afraid that the satellite is going to go down and all of that, so it’s a bit risky to do a live show, so we’re going to have to do it recorded tonight, which is the first time we’ve ever done that,” added Donnelly.

He said: “It’s very, very windy but even worse than that it was lentils for lunch, so Ant is a bit windy as well.”

Friday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! was pre-recorded for the first time ever due to adverse weather conditions.

Co-hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly recorded their links early in the evening as part of “precautionary measures” put in place by ITV following severe storm weather warnings.

It comes as Storm Arwen battered the UK with winds as high as 90mph.

The duo posted a video from outside Gwrych Castle in Wales ahead of the show, with the wind whipping and roaring in the background.

“You’ve probably heard we’ve had to record the show a bit earlier tonight because of the winds here at Storm Arwen,” said Dec.

“It’s bad isn’t it, it’s really windy. You can hear it, it’s rattling the tent, it might blow this away, so we’ve got to get it done and get out of here,” said Ant.

“It’s due to get worse later so everyone is afraid that the satellite is gonna go down and all of that, so it’s a bit risky to do a live show, so we’re going to have to do it recorded tonight, which is the first time we’ve ever done that,” said Dec.

He added: “It’s very, very windy but even worse than that it was lentils for lunch, so Ant is a bit windy as well.”

“Sorry guys, it’s just adding to the mayhem,” added Ant.

A spokesperson for I’m A Celebrity said the celebrities were being kept inside the castle and that contingencies were in place to ensure their safety.

“Tonight’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will be broadcast as a pre-recorded show rather than live due to the developing Storm Arwen and precautionary measures we’re putting into place on production,” they said.

“Our celebrities will remain inside the castle, which is secure, and we have contingencies in place to cover all weather scenarios to ensure the safety of our cast and crew.”

The majority of the UK was blanketed by weather warnings on Friday night and into Saturday as the storm arrived.

A rare red warning stretched along the east coast from Middlesbrough to beyond Aberdeen – the first maximum alert to be issued since Storm Dennis in February 2020.

The warning, which is the highest the Met Office issues, means the impact is likely to be severe, with the potential for damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down.