Adam Thomas has risked being blacklisted by ITV after claiming the broadcaster ‘exploited’ him during the I’m A Celebrity… South Africa final.
The TV personality won the latest series of the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! spin-off, but his triumph was overshadowed by a heated argument with campmates David Haye and Jimmy Bullard as the final went out live on Friday evening.
But comments made by brothers Adam, Scott and Ryan during a recent instalment of their weekly Thomas Bros podcast have prompted questions about their long-term future with ITV.
Adam, 37, was quick to explain how distressing he had found his time in the jungle, saying: ‘I just felt like I’d just been exploited and I think you can see it at the end of the live show.’
Despite winning with an impressive 51 per cent of public votes, he added: ‘I feel like I sold my soul and you couldn’t pay me £10million to do that experience again. Nothing is worth what I went through in there.’
At one point during the candid podcast chat, the TV personality broke down in tears, saying: ‘I used to sit down with my kids and watch this show, and now I won’t be able to do that. It will remind me of the experience I went through.’
Adam Thomas has risked being blacklisted by ITV after claiming the broadcaster ‘exploited’ him during the I’m A Celebrity … South Africa final
His protective twin Scott was intent on blaming the broadcaster, insisting: ‘All those campmates were pissed off at ITV. It wasn’t your issue. It is ITV’s issue.
‘In those shows, you get eaten alive, because it is so toxic. This is what is cut-throat about these shows: they are so high-risk. It wasn’t your fault, it was the way ITV played it.’
The brothers’ brutal remarks have certainly provided good exposure for their YouTube channel, which saw a jump from 39,000 to 41,500 followers since the video was published yesterday.
‘It was a clear message,’ an insider told Daily Mail. ‘Adam is furious and he doesn’t want to tell his story anyway near ITV.’
While Adam’s camp mates Sinitta and Scarlett Moffat appeared on several ITV programmes, including Good Morning Britain and Loose Women to discuss the show this week, Adam has kept his distance from the cameras.
He was notably absent from the I’m A Celebrity spin off, Unpacked, where stars appear to discuss their time in the jungle.
The I’m A Celeb fallout has prompted a series of issues for ITV, not least the 1,200 Ofcom complaints the broadcast received. Earlier this week the Daily Mail revealed that ITV currently has no plans for a third series.
A spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘The edit gives a fair and accurate representation of life in camp.
‘The duty of care for our contestants is of the utmost importance to us. We have measures in place to ensure celebrities are supported at every stage of the process.
‘The production team monitors everyone in camp and if at any time we felt someone overstepped the line of acceptable behaviour, then we would intervene.’
The TV personality won the latest series of the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! spin-off, but his triumph was overshadowed by a heated argument with David Haye and Jimmy Bullard
Comments made by brothers Adam, Scott and Ryan during a recent instalment of their weekly YouTube podcast have prompted questions about their long-term future with ITV
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Adam Thomas claims he was ‘exploited’ by ITV after I’m A Celeb live final ended in chaos
Meanwhile I’m A Celeb hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have dismissed claims of an ugly confrontation with Haye and Bullard following Friday’s show.
Discussing the incident during the latest instalment of their Hanging Out with Ant and Dec podcast, Donnelly recalled: ‘I went up to David Haye and he went “How brilliant was that? Wasn’t that great?”
‘It was certainly talk about TV, I wouldn’t call it great but anyway we had a laugh and we were cool.
‘Then I’ve walked off and seen Jimmy Bullard and I just shook his hand and I was like ‘look after yourself’ and he was like “yeah, yeah cheers, cheers, cheers.”
‘So there was no confrontation. I wasn’t flanked by two security guards.’
Meanwhile I’m A Celeb hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have dismissed claims of an ugly confrontation with Haye and Bullard following Friday’s show
McPartlin added: ‘I saw David Haye and he said, “What about that then, hope you get some good ratings for that one”.’
On Monday, it emerged that Haye was planning to sue ITV for ‘irreparable damage to his brand’ over the scenes of him that were broadcast.
He is said to have instructed his lawyers to send a letter to ITV and he is demanding a full investigation into the show edit.
Haye was accused of ‘bullying’ Adam on the programme, which was filmed last year, and he was also criticised by viewers for his comments about women.
According to The Sun, the retired athlete feels he was deliberately edited to be the show’s ‘pantomime villain’.
‘He is going for damages as a result of the ‘propaganda’ aired against him to recover lost earnings, which lawyers believe could total up to £10million.’
The insider added that Haye was previously in talks about a show with Netflix which has since fallen through and other brand deal work is also thought to have been paused.
The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for further comment.
