Ant and Dec have broken their usual silence to criticise David Haye over his behaviour on I'm A Celebrity... South Africa. The presenting duo described the former boxer's treatment of Adam Thomas as 'not nice' to watch and said his comments had crossed the line from banter.
Speaking on the show's podcast, Ant said: 'It's not a nice watch. He just kind of picks and picks at them. Adam has had a bit of a tough time and he's not coping well. Clearly the banter has got too much. But David won't stop.' Dec added: 'It's kind of crossed the line from banter. I don't find it comfortable to watch.'
The controversy began when Haye made sexist remarks about his girlfriend and other women, then criticised Adam Thomas for feeling too unwell to take part in a Bushtucker Trial. Thomas, who has psoriatic arthritis, said he was struggling with pain and exhaustion. Haye called him 'useless' and said he 'doesn't like men like that'.
Gemma Collins, a fellow contestant, said she felt compelled to protect Thomas. She told the podcast: 'I think David Haye might have seen a weakness in Adam, there were times where I had to protect Adam in there.' She added that she was ready to confront Haye if necessary.
Thomas later shared an emotional Instagram post, saying his time in the jungle was 'one of the toughest things I've ever been through' and that watching it back 'hasn't been easy at all'. He admitted he wished he had spoken up for himself sooner.
