ITV has addressed claims that Adam Thomas was favoured over Jimmy Bullard during the I'm A Celebrity... South Africa series. The broadcaster responded after former footballer Bullard faced criticism for his actions during the live finale on Friday night.
Background of the Dispute
Bullard has been embroiled in a bitter feud with winner Adam Thomas following their time in the jungle, which was filmed months ago. During the final, Bullard criticised the Waterloo Road star for his intimidating behaviour. He was angered that ITV chose not to air scenes where Thomas allegedly called him a c***, a decision host Ant McPartlin later confirmed was due to the content being unsuitable for broadcast.
Former boxer David Haye, who also faced criticism for sexist comments, claimed show executives manipulated the edit to portray Thomas as a victim. However, sources suggested Bullard was poorly edited to keep Thomas as the favourite.
ITV's Response
A spokesperson for ITV told the Mirror: We showed an accurate and fair representation of events. Suggesting ITV favours anyone is an incorrect and harmful accusation. All campmates were invited to the live finale to celebrate the series and share their thoughts. Once on stage, Ant and Dec spoke to Jimmy first; he arguably received the most airtime during this part of the show.
Bullard was also disappointed that Gemma Collins appeared to support Thomas during the show. A source told The Sun: He was disappointed his show buddy Gemma sided with Adam despite not being present during their row.
Bullard's Outburst
During the final, Bullard fumed: Listen, Adam and all of you can be upset with me and I absolutely threw him under the bus, I get it and I'll wear that. But what I don't stand on, is someone being abusive, aggressive and intimidating. He then asked Ant and Dec to share their opinions, saying: You were there and you didn't show any of that footage. You didn't show any of the C-bombs, it's a liberty. Ant argued back: The reason we didn't air the C-bomb is because that is unbroadcastable. I was there and I didn't think it was intimidating.
Adam Thomas later stated he took full responsibility for his actions, saying emotions were definitely running high in that moment.
