Channel Islander gets ‘Shipwrecked’

Thursday 07 February 2019

A Channel Islander and former Commonwealth Games swimmer made a splash last night as she got ‘Shipwrecked’ on national television.

Guernsey-born Courtney Butcher yesterday made her debut on the E4 reality series, which sees two teams of ‘castaways’ compete for cash on two islands in the South Pacific.

As the 'Princess' of her family, the financial services worker said she took part in the survival challenge reality show, which was filmed in the Cook Islands, hoping it would help her to become more independent.

20-year-old Courtney was last night’s 'new arrival', with the 6"1 outspoken blonde joining the other contestants a week into their challenge.  

She and her fellow contestants on the island were then pitted against each other in tasks, before being voted off by their peers.  

"It was the experience of going to the Cook Islands and living on an island with random people. To do something like that I thought would be pretty incredible. It was an experience thing for me. I’m very young so I’ve not had many big experiences in life, and I wanted to be able to prove I could do things for myself.

“I’d say I’m very mollycoddled at home – my mum tends to do quite a lot for me, which can be a blessing and a curse – but it’s made me want to be a lot more independent," she said.

Last night saw her test what it's like to be independent in a cooking challenge.

Courtney's got a long way to go on the road to independence #Shipwrecked pic.twitter.com/823x2vv7Pi

— Shipwrecked (@e4shipwrecked) February 6, 2019

Speaking about getting selected for the show, she said: "I was so shocked [when I found out]. [Being from Guernsey], nobody really gets to do stuff like that. I was so shocked that I was going."

As per the rules, Courtney was allowed just two luxury items and had to live without social media and technology for the duration of her time on the show. 

"I took coffee and a foam roller. I think I probably wouldn’t take the foam roller if I took anything differently, but it was a bit of a last-minute pick. I think Harry used it once, but it didn’t really get used. We enjoyed the coffee but realised later on that it was de-caf! 

"It is quite difficult [being without a phone], but it’s quite refreshing. When I came back, I actually took a month off social media. It’s quite nice to engage with people without using social media or the distraction of your phone. It was just very different and a bit weird as I’m the kind of person that’s on my phone 24/7," she said. 

Pictured: Courtney Butcher, Guernseywoman and Shipwrecked’s newest contestant.

We won't be able to find out how Courtney does on the show until it after it has aired but she says since filming has finished she already misses her friends on the series.  

"I miss the people. I feel like some of the people I met, I had deeper conversations with about life than I’ve ever probably ever had before. I’m never going to be able to have the experience again and I’m just so happy I was lucky enough to be chosen and to get that chance to live it," she said.

Shipwrecked continues weeknights at 21:00 on E4.