Radio host Nick Ferrari withdrew from discussions with ITV about appearing on I'm a Celebrity after his LBC bosses promised to equal his potential jungle earnings.
The broadcaster, who regularly appears on This Morning, had been courted by programme executives in what insiders described as "really productive conversations."
However, sources suggest that when Ferrari informed his employers at Global about the opportunity, they urged him to reconsider.
A source revealed: "They pledged to match any fee he was set to receive as they consider him such a vital and well-loved part of the LBC schedule."
The 66 year old was initially connected to the popular ITV programme at the end of September, with mounting speculation about his participation in recent weeks, reports the Mirror.
An insider claimed at the time that producers were "determined to bag him" and "prepared to dig deep into their pockets for a lucrative fee."
However, a source explained: "Ultimately, Global was able to flex its financial muscles and managed to keep their man. If he had signed up, he would have been off air for up to six weeks which they were keen not to happen.
"Nick is really well liked by those working on LBC and everyone thinks he has played a blinder by getting a payrise out of it."
The source continued: "Nick is known to have been a big fan of the show for years. Remember he was Carol Thatcher's 'celebrity friend' when she won the series all those years ago and has been known to the production team since."
It's understood that whilst ITV were eager to secure his participation, they hadn't submitted a formal proposal. And a source revealed: "Nick would have been brilliant but sadly it wasn't meant to be."
This comes as Nick has also become popular with the channel's daytime viewers through regular This Morning slots.
This year, numerous celebrity faces are heading out to Australia this weekend to participate. These include Emmerdale's Lisa Riley, former model Kelly Brook, and ex-EastEnders star Shona McGarty.
Lisa recently dropped a major hint she would be travelling Down Under, stating: "I'm A Celebrity...is something I would do before I turned 50 as a test for myself."
Additionally, YouTuber Morgan Burtwistle, better known as Angryginge, musician Martin Kemp, comedian Ruby Wax, TV presenter Alex Scott and Jack Osbourne. The 25th series, presented once again by Ant and Dec, is scheduled to begin a week on Sunday.
The Mirror has exclusively disclosed that Spandau Ballet star Martin was in "advanced talks" to join the popular ITV programme, following in the footsteps of his son Roman, who entered the jungle back in 2019.
Our insider revealed: "Martin is a household name having been top of the hit parade with Spandau Ballet in the 80s and then in EastEnders in the early 2000s - he's a great signing and everyone is very excited at the prospect of getting him Down Under."
Roman will undoubtedly be delighted seeing his dad in the jungle. "Listen, I would do anything to see my dad eat llama anus," Roman told the Mirror in 2022.
"I'll tell you why, because when I got nominated the first time it was the eating trial," he reminisced. "When you're in there, you get so paranoid about why people are voting for you, because you're like 'Am I coming across as a d*** and people want to see me suffer?'".