Sinitta has criticised viewers of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! after a disagreement with Gemma Collins sparked online backlash. The singer, known for her pop career in the 1980s, said her comments about Collins’ casting in Chicago were taken out of context due to selective editing by ITV.
During Thursday’s episode, Sinitta told Collins she initially thought the announcement that the TOWIE star would play Mama Morton was a “joke”. Collins appeared offended, later telling the cameras: “I am not a joke.” But Sinitta insisted the conversation was amicable, adding: “We bonded over discussing Chicago … they edited out us speaking amicably about the director and her calling us ‘2 Mama Mortons’.”
In a social media post, Sinitta defended herself, saying: “I didn’t call her a joke, I said I thought the announcement was a joke at the time as I had not been aware that she sang and danced.” She also apologised directly to Collins on Instagram, writing: “I am truly sorry that I hurt your feelings … I also apologised at the time of admitting it to you.”
Tonight’s episode will show the fallout, with Collins heard taking a swipe at Sinitta’s long-term on-and-off relationship with Simon Cowell. In preview clips, Collins remarked that Sinitta has to go through “two PAs” to reach Cowell, adding: “If someone did that to me, they'd be blocked.”
