I’m A Celebrity star David Haye has sparked fresh controversy after making a bold claim about Adam Thomas’ pay during their time on the show.
The former boxer, who famously clashed with Adam in the jungle, appeared to take another swipe at the actor in a new interview as he reflected on the series.
I’m A Celebrity star David Haye’s wild claim about Adam Thomas’ fee
Speaking on The Sun’s Showbiz Fix podcast, David opened up about his experience on the ITV show and admitted he would happily return if given the chance.
He also shared what he believes contestants earn while taking part in the South Africa-based series.
“It’s probably £20,000-25,000 per day for being in that jungle. So to get up and do some trial or doing whatever… How is that hard? It’s not hard. I’ve had really hard fights for no money whatsoever. I’ve grown up in gyms where we fight each other,” he said.
David previously clashed with Adam after the actor, who lives with arthritis, was unable to take part in a trial due to illness.
David on his I’m A Celeb experience
Despite the drama, David insisted he enjoyed his time on the programme and would do it all again.
“I thought I’m A Celebrity was great, I’d do it again, it’s good fun, I enjoyed it. I genuinely had some amazing connections with everybody, and I enjoyed their company, all of them. We had a nice time. It was a really nice group of people,” he said.
He also admitted the trials felt tougher than expected, particularly when it came to answering questions under pressure.
“They cranked the trials up in terms of how tough they were and the amount of cockroaches they’d pour over your head or the questions they’d ask you. It was all a lot harder than I remember – It was the questions. Any trial that requires me knowing any sort of trivial Adele song, spinning me round and round in a machine, asking me about Adele songs, I couldn’t think of one now,” he added.
The boxer went on to say he isn’t bothered if viewers see him as a “sexist” or a “bully” based on what was shown, insisting the programme is edited.
ED! has contacted ITV and Adam’s representatives for comment.
David Haye’s swipes at Adam Thomas
In a separate interview with The Sun, David said he “couldn’t care less” about Adam’s psoriatic arthritis.
When asked if he knew about Adam’s diagnosis, he said: “I didn’t know about it, but I couldn’t care less. Everyone’s got something. If you go to the doctor and say, I don’t feel well because of this, that, the other, they’ll prescribe you something, give you some pills, and now you’ve got this thing to hold on to. So any situation that might be uncomfortable, you go: ‘Look, I’ve got this doctor’s note’ and they’ll all feel sorry for me.”
He also claimed Adam was “jumping around, dancing” and suggested he “didn’t like the sound” of the trial, so chose not to take part.
David also rejected claims he bullied his campmate, saying: “If a few comments breaks him, how soft is he? How weak, how brittle-spirited is he? If that’s what breaks him, obviously it means he comes from a very soft, padded lifestyle.”
The comments come after their on-screen clashes left viewers divided, with many accusing David of going too far.
I’m A Celebrity South Africa continues at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX tonight (Thursday April 23).
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