England cricket hero Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff has confessed to a series of cunning rule-bends that helped him secure victory on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia in 2015. The beloved sportsman, now 47, was crowned King of the Jungle but later revealed his triumph was aided by secret tactics the cameras never captured.
The Off-Screen Cigarette Breaks
In a revealing 2018 interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, Flintoff detailed his first deception. Knowing that smoking is banned on Australian television, he falsely declared himself a smoker during the show's application process. "I said 'I'm a smoker,' which I'm not by any stretch," he admitted. He requested five cigarettes a day, anticipating they would have to be taken off-camera.
This clever ploy granted him precious moments of solitude. "I'd walk out the gate and there'd be a chair with a cigarette that I didn't have. I just sat and had some peace to myself, not filmed and in nobody's hearing," Flintoff explained, giving him an unauthorised mental break from the intense camp environment.
Hydration Hijinks and Trial Trickery
Flintoff's rule-breaking didn't stop there. While his campmates were forced to collect and boil water from a stream, he found a much easier source. He discovered a medical hut located roughly 50 yards from camp, which contained a water tub.
"I picked all the putty out the window and took it out. And then filled my bottle five times a day," he said. The extra hydration was so effective he joked, "[My wee] was crystal clear. After a few days, I was thinking, 'They must think I'm a camel.' Nobody's seen me drink."
Furthermore, the cricket star manipulated the feared Bushtucker Trials from the start. On his pre-show questionnaire, he dishonestly listed a fear of frogs. "I don't mind frogs," he confessed. This ensured that during one challenge, producers dumped frogs on his head, believing it was a genuine phobia and likely making the task easier for him.
Victory Despite the Deception
Despite his cheeky antics, Flintoff's natural wit and charisma won over the viewing public. He ultimately beat Australian Rules football star Barry Hall to claim first place in the series, which was filmed in South Africa's Kruger National Park. His victory earned $100,000 (approximately £50,000) for his chosen charity, the McGrath Foundation.
He joins a list of British celebrities who have appeared on the Australian version of the show, including Joey Essex, Stephen K. Amos, and Paul Burrell. The revelation, made three years after his win, adds a legendary and mischievous footnote to the I'm A Celebrity history books, proving that even in the jungle, a competitive spirit can find creative ways to thrive.
