Sam Thompson has declared he would rather 'eat a bucketload of kangaroo balls' than take part in Celebrity Gladiators again. The former Made in Chelsea star, who won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023, is one of the famous faces appearing in this year's Christmas special, airing on Christmas Day.
Thompson told The Sun he felt 'stitched up' after being pitted against Giant, played by Jamie Christian-Johal. 'Giant hitting you over the head with one of the sticks is diabolical. I feel like I was a bit stitched-up. He's a giant. The clue's in the name,' he said. 'When he came out, I literally went, “Oh, no!” He was just laughing at me while I was hitting him. All hope left my soul.'
Despite the ordeal, Thompson said he did not feel like a 'loser' because he made a new friend in fellow contestant Joe Wicks. Joking about his best pal Pete Wicks, Thompson said: 'We're brothers in arms. There's no losers because he just takes me with him. It's great. Now I have another Wicks in my life – I've got too many Wickses in my life now. Pete's never jealous though, he knows that I love him.'
Joe Wicks added that people sometimes mistake him for Pete Wicks, saying: 'Every now and then when I'm out, people mistake me for Pete Wicks. They say, “It's so lovely to see you, Pete!” I'm like, “No, you've got the wrong Wicks”. Apparently he gets the same about me.'
Thompson also revealed plans to take a break in 2026, saying: 'I'm maybe slowing down a little bit. So I think maybe a bit of rest for me in 2026, consolidate, and actually just enjoy life a little bit.' The star recently split from Zara McDermott after five years together and has since started dating DJ and model Talitha Balinska.
