Mo Farah

Adam Thomas is the I’m A Celebrity South Africa winner 2026 despite ‘unbroadcastable’ row

Adam Thomas defeated the bullies and the other finalists to be crowned the winner of I’m A Celebrity All Stars in South Africa.

In a live final back in London, the actor beat runner up Mo Farah, third placed Harry Redknapp, and Craig Charles in fourth to be named an I’m A Celebrity ‘legend’.

Looking surprised and a bit shaken after a night of controversy, Adam said: “Thank you guys, thank you so much. I love ya.”

Earlier in the live show there had been chaos as he came face to face with David Haye and Jimmy Bullard and the verbal clash led to two other campmates – Gemma Collins and Sinitta – storming off stage.

The 37-year-old actor had faced abuse in camp from boxer Haye, had a row with quitter Jimmy Bullard and also got emotional at times on the ITV show. But he put it all behind him to come out on top.

Before he did his final trial in South Africa, Adam admitted there had been “a lot of drama” in camp. And there was a lot of drama in the final too as hosts Ant and Dec struggled to stay on top of things as it got chaotic with the crowd booing comments and celebs speaking out of turn.

Just minutes before Adam was crowned champ there were awkward scenes in the studio as Jimmy Bullard said Adam was “aggressive, abusive and intimidating” when Jimmy quit and Adam feared his own jungle adventure was also over. Thankfully the other campmates let him stay in the camp.

Adam reflected on it and said he had apologised to Jimmy several times. Looking serious he said: “Listen I take full responsibility for my actions. Yes emotions were definitely running high in that moment. But, you know, I have got nothing but love for Jimmy.”

When David Haye tried to interrupt him Adam also said “will you just let the finalists speak”. Adam then said: “I take everything he said into account. That is not how I want to show myself off and I have never showed myself off in that light before that or after that. And I am sorry Jimmy.”

Adam was given a final eating trial in South Africa called Swallow the Odds, and looking ahead to the prospect of winning said: “I am gonna be a legend baby” He then proceeded to smash the trial, eating five courses with the likes of five pig teats, two century fermented eggs, tarantula and fermented tofu.

He even cheered himself on, saying “come on Adam, ” in between mouthfuls. After watching Gemma said: “You done so well, you amazing.”

But he also had to cope with a backlash from other contestants, as David Haye interrupted the show at this point and said: “Do you think you deserve to win it after calling Jimmy the C-word a couple of times?”

Adam replied: “After that trial I deserve it yeah.”

Trying to restore order, host Dec said: “We are going to come to this a bit later.”But David continued: “Don’t you think you should ask Jimmy…a lot of that stuff was cut out.”Ant said: “There was a lot of stuff which was unbroadcastable which is why, look we will get into this later in the show.”Dec added: “I knew it was going to smoothly.”

Actor Adam first appeared on the show in 2016 making the final.

Asked about the South African version he said: “It was completely different but at the same time, so much better because of the people there. Everything was stepped up a lot, especially the trials and challenges. It was like going back to being a kid again. In my eyes there’s no comparison, this was definitely for the legends and it felt legendary.”

He had paired up with Jimmy Bullard for a trial where the bottom two left the show, but when Jimmy refused to take part and said “get me out of here” Adam had been due to leave too and verbally attacked Jimmy. He was so furious the scenes were edited down, something Jimmy is unhappy about. During the final he urged ITV to show the full contents of Adam’s rants.

Commenting on his clash with Jimmy Bullard when the ex-footballer quit, Adam had said on Thursday: “It was just really random and unexpected to be honest. I didn’t see it coming.

“Safe to say, I don’t think I was too happy about it. The fact I felt like I was leaving because of someone else just really broke my heart more than anything as I wanted to do my kids proud. Emotions can get the better of you in there and in hindsight, I probably would never have reacted the way I did but I was just really upset.”

On social media this week he had claimed even getting to the final he had felt a winner. But he had also said in a podcast chat with his brother this week he was still getting therapy for the way he had been treated in camp by David Haye.

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David Haye is set to target the Rhino’s dinner in tonight’s edition of I’m A Celebrity…South Africa amid what is already a controversial time in the jungle for the boxer

David Haye is set to target the Rhino’s dinner in tonight’s edition of I’m A Celebrity…South Africa. The boxer, 45, is currently taking part in the all-stars edition of Ant and Dec’s ITV reality survival show and is a member of the Lion’s team alongside Harry Redknapp and Ashley Roberts.

Rumours that stealing food in camp, which has been divided by a fence, have been rife and in Wednesday’s episode, the sports star looks set to pocket the rival team’s dinner.

As the food is lowered into camp, David says confidently : “I can’t wait for the food to get here. It’s not going to be easy getting up there but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

READ MORE: David Haye’s brutal snub to Gemma Collins as I’m A Celeb fans left ragingREAD MORE: I’m A Celebrity fans predict Gemma Collins will win show after telling camp moment

Immediately taken aback by his plan, Olympian Sir Mo Farah tells his teammate: “Damn, brother. No, I think we should just let them have it… technically they did win it.”

But David remains undeterred as he says: “This is the Lions’ lair, anything coming in here is getting eaten,” However, their conversation is overhear by Coronation Street star Craig Charles from the other side of the fence.

He says: “You’re not really going to steal the bag, are you? You can’t steal the bag off our girls who just won the challenge!” Whether he is successful in his ploy remains to be seen, but David wastes no time as he sets about King Harry’s throne to propel himself nearer to the food bag.

The boxing star has had quite the controversial time in camp already – having already made offensive comments about women and seemingly directed a joke about weight at Gemma Collins. After suffering a defeat in a trial, David admitted that he did not like losing and it would “eat him up for a while,” and it was then that Gemma went to comfort him over the loss, which left fans confused, especially after he made insulting comments to her earlier in the week.

He said: “It’s gonna eat me up for a while. They tried to get under my skin, and they have; that’s what they should do, and I expect nothing less. I don’t like losing any rounds.” It was at that point that Gemma, who, as a member of the team on the other side of the fence, made the forbidden move to speak to him, and he began by saying: “Hello sweetheart” when he saw her.

She said: “You’re not a loser, David. Don’t be hard on yourself, tomorrow is another day, dust it off, you’re always a champ, you know that. Love ya. Come on, it’s not the end of the world.” Gemma then hugged her co-star before heading off.

Then, in the Bush Telegraph, Gemma said: “Obviously, there’s been a bit of banter between us. I’ve seen a different side to David.” But fans were left taken aback as to why the TOWIE legend had been so kind and understanding towards him, especially as he made comments last night which seemingly referred to her weight.

David’s controversy all started innocently enough when it was suggested the group of celebs should meet up for a party when they left the show, and David said his girlfriend Sian was a great cook and could possibly provide food for the event.

He then added: “She’s like tall, blue eyes. She’s lovely. She’s got the personality of a proper ugly bird.” Scarlett Moffatt replied: “You can’t say that.”

But David brushed off the response and added: “She has. Most ugly girls realise they don’t they’re not pretty enough to….they gotta have a personality to banter and to tell jokes and s**t, so people overlook the fact that they’re not aesthetically amazing, straight away.

“Which is what’s called Ugly Duckling syndrome, where girls are ugly, when they start off, and then they and then they kind of they, they get pretty as they get older. But they still got the personality of when they’re ugly. Does that make sense?”

As Scarlett and others made shocked noises, David continued to express his opinions. Haye added: “You get a girl who’s pretty from day one, you get a girl who’s different day one. Everyone goes ‘You’re so beautiful. You’re amazing’. She grows up thinking, I’m amazing. Everyone loves me. I can open any door. I can go anywhere I want.” Later on, Gemma was talking about how “thick” her hair is, and David quipped: “It certainly ain’t thin.”

I’m A Celebrity…South Africa airs weeknights 9PM on ITV1, ITVX, STV AND STV PLAYER

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Sinitta thought she ‘would marry’ Simon Cowell and was hit hard when he moved on.

I’m A Celeb star Sinitta has revealed the secrets of her on-off romance with Simon Cowell – and how she thought they would marry one day. The singer, 62, insisted to her I’m A Celebrity campmates she had dated former X Factor boss Cowell “on and off for 40 years”, but the relationship was not the most straight forward as during that time Cowell also had other girlfriends and “was not faithful” according to the singer.

The conversation began when Gemma Collins said she was loving not having her phone and she now understands why Simon Cowell doesn’t have a phone. Mo Farah asked Sinitta if that’s true. It was true and Gemma added: “Sinitta tries to call him and she’s got to go through two PAs, housekeepers just to get a message to him.”

Sinitta agreed and said: “And then he’ll call you”, Gemma added: “As and when he fancies.” Sinitta then told the group she had dated Cowell “on and off for 40 years”.

She added: “He wasn’t a faithful boyfriend. He won’t mind me saying it, because he knows, and I was very possessive. But he kind of likes that we can all just hang out and be friends.

“Women act crazy around Simon, especially in the American Idol, I’ve been burnt on the shoulder with a cigarette when we were dancing in a club because some woman, gorgeous model was trying to get to him.”

She reflected: “I feel like Simon loves me and cares about me, but it’s just, I think I romanticise everything. And then you see him with his partner(Lauren) and his baby, well, he’s a big boy now, and it’s like, ‘wow, okay’. Like everyone really does have their proper person.”

Cowell, 66, has been with Lauren Silverman now for over a decade and they have a 12-year-old son Eric. Sinitta said: “I was the right person for a time, but they’ve just got this whole level that we didn’t have. I think I was just probably too needy.

“I genuinely believed that we were going to get married. You know, I’m such a romantic that I think that was going to be our happy ever after, and then it wasn’t. So that was pretty hard. But then you stop growing up quickly. I have to have something that’s just from me.

“When you are In showbusiness and you are all over the place, you have to have something that’s just for me.”

Reflecting in the Bush Telegraph, Gemma said: “She was in an on and off relationship with him for over 40 years and when Sinitta rings he replies and says ‘I’ll call you tomorrow Sinitta’.

“I mean, if someone did that to me, they’d be blocked, scrubbed off the Christmas card list and yeah, I ain’t waiting around for no man to call me back.”

During the conversation it appeared that Sinitta and Gemma were talking on friendly terms. This was a sharp contrast to the previous day in camp when the pair clashed over the musical Chicago.

The pair clashed over the musical show which Sinitta has starred in and Gemma had been due to appear in 2022. Both women had the role of Matron ‘Mama’ Morton.

After the two Im A Celeb camps merged, a conversation started between the pair and Sinitta said: “What happened with Chicago? Because you were supposed to follow me as Mama Morton in Chicago, it was like announced and everything.”

Gemma replied: “I had a terrible injury… it was something to do with the insurance.” But Sinitta seemed unsure if she believed her, saying: “I’m sorry, but I’m going to admit it, when I heard you were going to do it, I thought it was a joke announcement.”

“I think you’d just presented something at an awards show and fell off the stage. It was like you were more of a comedian.”

Angry Gemma then replied: “It is not a joke Sinitta, I auditioned for it and got it fair and square. I did all the training and the voice coach.”

Posting on instagram underneath a clip of the video on Friday, Sinitta blasted ITV bosses and said the footage had edited out some of the conversation to make it look a bigger bust up. She said ITV “edited out us speaking amicably”.

She added: “We actually bonded over discussing Chicago, I didn’t call her a joke, I said I thought the announcement was a joke at the time as I had not been aware that she sang and danced etc .There was lots of gossip about it in Theatreland when she didn’t do the show.

“I gave her a chance to tell her side from the horses mouth! Think about it…. That is not rude, it’s called conversations. why do people fear open conversations ?”

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