TV I'm a Celeb: Body language expert says Alan and Tulisa might form a romantic connection

Behaviour and body language expert Nicole Greenfield-Smith has teamed up with Mecca Games to share her expertise on the latest series of I’m a Celebrity. Did Jane's body language during the underwater trial show real distress, or was she exaggerating and just didn’t want to do them as many viewers claimed?

"Jane seemed relatively calm during the underwater trial. Many of the contestants are experiencing an ‘emotional flood’ during the tasks where they are flooded with stress hormones (Maura being a prime example in the underwater challenge last night). This temporarily compromises their ability to process the situation accurately or engage in rational thought or actions.

"Jane, on the other hand, showed few signs of this. She was engaging with Maura and offering words of encouragement. She also wasn’t responding negatively to Maura’s fear (we’ve seen how easily the fear escalate when the contestants mirror each others’ screaming, as per the bus challenge.) Instead, she strategised - and verbalised - her approach when she couldn’t see the codes. I felt this was a logical method given Maura was struggling and Jane realised she needed to optimise her own chances of getting the stars to make up time."

How does Oti's body language get people to open up in camp?

"Both Oti and Richard are masters of connection – and their connection with each other is also evident from their physical closeness and mirrored postures. Both are attentive and skilled listeners – which is of course reflective in their professional abilities."

"Oti especially incorporates a huge amount of positive body language such as turning her face, body and feet towards the person she is speaking to; moving to be on the same level as them; mirroring levels of eye contact; nodding along (which encourages people to talk for longer) and using facial expressions that reflect the gravity of the situation.

"She frequently punctuates her conversations with fleeting and reassuring touches and rarely interrupts or finishes people’s sentences – instead allowing others to speak at their own pace. She’s also great at verbally reflecting their feelings back at them which shows empathy and understanding. Some of the campmates quickly turn those conversations back to their own experiences, which is a more common trait."

How genuine were Rev Richard Coles' emotions when discussing his late partner with Oti Mabuse?

"Richard’s reactions seemed genuine last night. You could hear the words catch in his throat when the conversation became more intense and his voice became huskier and slower. He also took some deeper breaths and looked away more frequently. This is called ‘gazer aversion’ and is common when people aren’t feeling comfortable in their feelings, are cognitively or emotionally overloaded or need time to verbalise their emotions."

Was Maura's extreme fear of spiders during the trial real or exaggerated for the cameras?

"Maura’s reaction was genuine. She was flushed, her breathing was shallow, her voice was fast and high and she was backing away from the things that scared her. As Maura becomes increasingly desensitised to spiders due to experiencing more trails and overcoming challenging situations, her extreme reaction should dampen down. Remember, she’s the new girl in camp. The others have had more chance to adjust."

Does Maura’s body language and expressions suggest she might leave camp?

"Maura is stressed and that is very much reflected in her body language. However, she’s evidently also a determined person who uses humour to deflect awkward or tough situations. I’d be surprised at this stage if she leaves camp – especially if she brings home the stars. Celebs will often walk when they face the disapproval of, or disconnection from, the other camp-mates. At present, Maura seems to be a well-liked and supported member of the camp."

Why did Dean remain calm during the 'fright bus' trial despite his usual panic?

"Dean should be becoming increasingly desensitised to some of his fears due to the fact he is repeatedly encountering the bugs, snakes and offal that scare him. The fact he hasn’t bailed on any of his recent trials like he did at the start shows that he is indeed gaining tolerance.

"However, during the bus trial there was so much screaming that we saw many of the contestants, such as Barry and Danny, retreat into their own heads and stay relatively quiet, literally gritting their teeth and bearing it which can be a natural reaction to mass hysteria.

"Some people may also disassociate to create a protective mental bubble from the negative emotions of those around them. This may have been the case with Dean. He mays also have felt that there was little point in trying to out-scream Maura and Tulisa, but that’s just projection rather than evidence based."

Alan and Tulisa are getting closer are there signs it could be more than friendship?

"I haven’t spotted any unusual signs of sexual chemistry between Tulisa and Alan – yet. They evidently have a good rapport and Tulisa has made it clear that for her, romance is emotional over physical, but remember they shared the experience of being joint camp leaders and partially segregated from their campmates as soon as they joined. Experiences like this do bring people together, but so far, their body language and behaviour is what I expect from friends. That’s not to say that it won’t change moving forwards, of course, as they get to know one another more."

Reverend Richard and GK Barry

"I love the closeness between Reverend Richard and GK Barry. In spite of a significant age difference and life experiences, they evidently enjoy each other’s company, share a similar humour and camaraderie, and are at ease in one another’s company."

Barry and Jane

"There has also been some emerging signs of frustration from Barry and Jane. Obviously they had words over the camp-task delegations which made Jane unhappy, but there have been some ‘looks’ and comments from Barry that reveal some exasperation is setting in. Such as his comment about Dean being ‘as dramatic as he can’ to receive more trials and the deep breaths and subtle eyebrow raises when certain campmates are talking."