Two stars of a British celebrity reality TV show filmed in Australia have been charged with animal cruelty by New South Wales police.

Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo, who won the I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here TV contest, and soap star Stuart Manning were arrested and charged after cooking a rat and serving it with rice as a meal for fellow contestants.

D'Acampo, 33, and Manning, 30, were confronted by RSPCA officers after filming ended late last week on the TV show's set near Dungay in north-eastern NSW.

The News Of The World newspaper and the BBC say that the pair were charged with animal cruelty offences by Murwillumbah police.

They have been ordered to appear in court on February 3.

If found guilty, the pair face up to three years in jail.

The ITV network, which broadcasts the reality TV show in Britain, could also face charges.

- AAP