Tom Read Wilson's close friend and co-star Anna Williamson has defended him after viewers questioned whether his posh, high-pitched accent is genuine. The Celebs Go Dating receptionist, 39, entered the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! jungle as a late arrival, and his eloquence has sparked accusations of putting on a 'fake accent'.
Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, Anna Williamson, 44, who has worked with Tom for six years on the E4 dating show, insisted his voice is authentic. 'It's probably the most common question everybody says, does he really talk like that? I can now clarify, absolutely, Tom Read Wilson speaks like that,' she said.
Williamson attributed his melodic tone to his musical theatre training but stressed his personality is all real. 'Tom is our life coach, Tom is one of the most stoic, most sage... he's a wonderful, wonderful guy,' she added. 'Honestly, I hate the phrase what you see is what you get, but he's the kindest guy.'
The defence comes after fellow campmate Aitch questioned the legitimacy of Tom's accent. Williamson addressed the Manchester rapper's 'unfair' swipe on Instagram Stories, stating: 'That is how Tom speaks. That’s for real. when he’s upset, happy. Like off duty on duty. That is how Tom speaks. It’s not an act. That’s real and it’s wonderful.'
She also revealed a sweet reason behind his eloquence: 'He is influenced by his dad. He was an English teacher and Tom just speaks like that. He jokes that he sounds like June Whitfield like an 80 year old well-spoken granny.'
