Gemma Collins has spoken out against David Haye following a bullying controversy on I'm A Celebrity... South Africa, revealing she felt compelled to protect fellow contestant Adam Thomas. The former boxer has faced widespread criticism after making sexist remarks and targeting Thomas, who suffers from psoriatic arthritis.
Collins, appearing on the show's podcast I'm A Celebrity... Unpacked, said: 'I think David Haye might have seen a weakness in Adam, there were times where I had to protect Adam in there. If I was going full GC mode on David Haye, and a lot of them, then it would've been a disaster in there but I had to remain calm and composed.' She added that she was ready to 'take David on' if necessary.
Ant and Dec also weighed in, with Ant describing the incident as 'not a nice watch' and Dec saying it 'crossed the line from banter'. The presenting duo rarely criticise contestants publicly, but felt Haye's behaviour was unacceptable.
Adam Thomas, who lives with psoriatic arthritis, had asked to be excused from a Bushtucker Trial due to feeling unwell. Haye responded by calling him 'useless' and saying he 'doesn't like men like that'. Thomas later shared an emotional Instagram post, saying the experience was 'one of the toughest things I've ever been through' and that watching it back 'hasn't been easy at all'.
