Former heavyweight boxing champion David Haye has announced plans to sue ITV for what he claims will be 'way more' than £10 million, alleging that the editing of I'm a Celebrity: South Africa caused 'irreparable damage' to his brand. The 45-year-old took to Instagram to express his frustration, stating that the show's portrayal had a 'detrimental effect' on him and left him facing 'negative repercussions'.
During the series, which aired last month, Haye faced backlash for comments about women and his treatment of fellow contestant Adam Thomas. He now claims the show was 'heavily directed' and 'manipulated' to fit a specific narrative. In a video, he said: 'I'm hearing this 10 million number banded around. I don't know where that came from, because the number I'm going to hit him with is way more than that.'
Haye expressed confidence that a judge would rule in his favour once the unedited footage is reviewed. 'Once the tapes have been viewed, once the evidence has been presented, and once they see what the public sees, they'll realise that maybe this reality TV might not be that real,' he said.
However, media law experts have warned that such a case faces significant hurdles. Kishan Pattni, a reputation management partner at Freeths LLP, told The Independent: 'Claims arising out of reality TV editing are notoriously difficult to win in England. The law does not protect contestants from being shown in an unflattering or hostile light: it protects against false statements of fact that cause serious harm to reputation.'
Joseph McCaughley of Spencer West LLP added that contestants typically sign contracts granting producers editorial control, which 'restricts their ability to bring claims about how they are portrayed'. A claim would only succeed if the programme 'crosses the threshold into a legal wrong', he said.
