Jack Osbourne has confessed to a major rule breach during his time on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! The podcast host, who was the joint seventh contestant eliminated alongside actress Lisa Riley, admitted to using a decoy phone to secretly keep his personal mobile.
The Secret Phone Scheme
Osbourne, 38, detailed how he circumvented the show's strict protocol designed to prevent contestants from contacting the outside world before entering camp. Contestants are required to surrender their phones to avoid learning details about upcoming Bushtucker Trials. However, after a late arrival in Australia due to a flight cancellation, Jack executed his plan.
"I had work to do, I was doing a bunch of s***," he told The Sun. "I was calling Aree, I was calling my mum, I was calling the kids. I gave them a secondary phone when I landed. I was like, yeah, there’s my phone." He presented this burner phone to producers while covertly retaining his actual device to use in his hotel, maintaining contact with his wife, Aree, and his mother, Sharon Osbourne.
Pregnancy News and Personal Grief
In the same revealing interview, Osbourne shared significant personal news. He disclosed that his wife, Aree Gearhart, is 28 weeks pregnant with their second child. He also shared the poignant detail that Aree was able to tell his father, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, about the pregnancy before his death in July this year.
Ozzy Osbourne died after suffering a heart attack, just weeks after performing his final concert in Birmingham. Jack described the new baby as "healing" amidst his grief. "It’s awesome. I think it’s been partly a healthy distraction, partly healing," he said. "Probably in that kind of ‘full cycle’ category, in a weird way. It’s very much taken energy out of the grieving side of things and parked in a bit more hopefulness."
Reaction and Aftermath
Jack's behaviour in the camp, including constant hovering in the kitchen, divided viewers. Some found it difficult to watch, while others interpreted it as a sign he was struggling. This Week presenter Alison Hammond commented on ITV's companion show Unpacked that she believed it was "too soon" after his father's passing for Jack to participate.
Osbourne's exit during the quarter-final left just four campmates remaining in the competition. His admission of the I'm A Celeb rules breach adds a controversial postscript to his jungle journey, highlighting the lengths some celebrities go to stay connected.
