Patti Blagojevich calls jungle a ‘welcome break’

Former Illinois first lady says she lost 12 pounds on ‘I’m a Celebrity ...’

NBC

Patti Blagojevich says she lost about 12 pounds during her 23 days in the jungle of Costa Rica.

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Sanjaya, Heidi and Spencer, Patti Blagojevich and more celebrities get wild on “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”

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updated 11:32 a.m. ET June 25, 2009

CHICAGO - Former Illinois first lady Patti Blagojevich says her time on NBC’s reality show “I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!” was a “life altering experience.”

Blagojevich told WGN-TV Thursday morning that making friends on the show helped restore her faith in people.

She says the show also had some unexpected perks.

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Blagojevich says she lost about 12 pounds during her 23 days in the jungle of Costa Rica.

And during an interview on WLS Radio’s “Don Wade and Roma Morning Show,” she called her time on the show “a really welcome break” that she didn’t know she needed.

Blagojevich spoke by telephone from California, where she was preparing to return to Illinois.

Blagojevich was voted off the show during Tuesday’s episode. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips went on to win.

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