The emotional drive behind I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! favourite Angry Ginge's jungle journey has been revealed, with the star determined to win for the mother who raised him against the odds.
A Mother's Sacrifice
In an exclusive interview, Ginge's close friend and fellow The Bov Boys member, Jakey Davies, shared the star's heartfelt motivation. He explained that Ginge, whose real name has not been used, wants to make his mother, Michelle, proud after she raised him and his sister single-handedly.
Michelle brought up her family on a council estate in Salford, Greater Manchester, working three different jobs on a salary of just £12,500 a year. "He said he wants to do it for her and make her proud - he values his family so highly," Davies told the Mirror. "He is that inspiration for people from a working class background."
From Council House to Camp Leader
Ginge's rise to fame began in his Salford bedroom, where he first started live-streaming himself playing football video games under the username Angryginge13. His relatable personality and humour have since earned him a massive following of more than five million people across his social media accounts.
This popularity has now translated to the jungle, where he has become the bookies' favourite to be crowned King of the Jungle. However, the experience has been emotionally challenging. Earlier this week, viewers saw Ginge break down in tears, missing his mum in camp.
Davies commented on this rare display of emotion, saying, "I've not seen that emotional side to him…but you have to remember that Ginge hasn’t been on holiday since 2017, never mind going to a different country and having zero contact to home."
Navigating Camp Dynamics
The emotional moment was partly triggered by feeling alienated after some camp mates, namely Jack Osbourne and Ruby Wax, appeared uneasy about Ginge and fellow contestant Aitch becoming camp leaders. Davies believes this was likely a simple misunderstanding of Ginge's northern sense of humour.
"Him and Aitch meant no harm… there are some people in there who aren't necessarily from the UK, and they might not understand certain sarcastic traits," he explained.
Davies also admitted to being surprised by some of Ginge's jungle revelations, including his romantic side and his claim to not drink alcohol. "He doesn't drink for the most part, but he has snuck in a Disaronno and coke now and again," he joked.
Ultimately, Davies has no worries about public perception of his friend. "He's genuinely exactly the same as he's on camera, and he's just a nice person. So I wasn’t worried about the public opinion, because he's not controversial. He's literally just a sound bloke." He added that Ginge's success is a special point of pride for Manchester, offering a relatable success story beyond the typical London-centric narratives.
