QUEEN of the jungle Kerry McFadden made a triumphant return to her home town after winning television popularity show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Only days after returning from the Australian outback, the former Atomic Kitten singer joined family and friends at Warrington Town Hall to celebrate her success in the ITV programme.

Around 500 fans turned out to welcome her back.

McFadden, 23, said: "This is so over-whelming and I want to thank all of you. I'm absolutely amazed, I think I'm going to cry again."

As her hometown crowd chanted her name, the television presenter added: "We had so much fun. It was brilliant, absolutely brilliant, although I would never do it again.

"It feels fantastic to be Queen of the Jungle. I'm absolutely flabbergasted."

McFadden said that, when she watched the show after returning from Australia, she understood why she had been referred to as "the Warrington Whinger" but said she stuck at it to make her husband Bryan, 23, of the boy band Westlife, and two children proud.

She said the scariest moment was meeting fellow contestant former Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten, before adding: "I loved Johnny Rotten - he's a diamond. We got on very well."

The mother-of-two also said she missed Razor Ruddock and was sorry when he left the jungle.

She said: "He was like an older brother. That's why I was so sad he left."

After signing autographs, McFadden went back into the town hall for a civic reception with the Mayor of Warrington, Coun Pauline Nelson, as well as family and friends.

She then left England by plane for her home in Ireland.

When she touched down at Dublin airport, she burst into tears as she saw her one-year-old daughter walk towards her for the first time.

She was absolutely devastated to have missed Lily-Sue's first steps while she was in the jungle but said it was fantastic to be reunited with both her children.

She said: "I'm delighted to be home. It's absolutely fantastic to be back with the kids, I'll never leave them again.

"Now I just want to get home and cuddle up with them all. We're spending Valentine's night at home with egg-fried rice and a chicken curry.

Holding Lily-Sue and Molly, two, she added: "It's great to be back home, I love Ireland. "When Lily walked towards me it was the best present ever. I missed them all so much it actually ached."

The star has donated her winnings to two Irish charities, The Temple Street Children's Hospital and the Variety Club of Ireland.

They will share over £700,000 raised through premium vote phone charges viewers paid to vote for her.

McFadden overcame an unhappy childhood to become a member of the top-selling Liverpool girl band Atomic Kitten and marry her singer husband.

Her mother was in an abusive relationship and McFadden was taken into care at 13.

She lived with four sets of foster parents and went to eight different schools but her fortunes changed when she joined the pop group in 1999.

They had five hits, including the number one smash Whole Again, but she quit at the height of their success after meeting Bryan.

In January 2002 they had a fairytale wedding at Slane Castle, County Meath.