I’m A Celebrity star Craig Charles became emotional during a live TV appearance today as he addressed the ongoing drama surrounding Adam Thomas.
Adam has spoken out this week about the “bullying” he says he experienced from David Haye during his time in South Africa. He also clashed with Jimmy Bullard in a heated, foul-mouthed exchange during a trial.
Craig Charles hits out at Adam Thomas on I’m A Celebrity
Appearing on today’s episode of This Morning, Craig joined fellow finalists Mo Farah and Harry Redknapp for a chat with hosts Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond.
Notably absent was Adam, as Craig quickly tackled the controversy that has dominated headlines in recent days, including the bullying claims and the explosive argument with Jimmy.
Craig insisted that neither he nor the rest of the camp realised the extent of how David’s “banter” was affecting Adam at the time. He suggested that ITV’s duty of care meant producers would have stepped in if things had gone too far.
“We didn’t know. ITV have a duty of care. They didn’t think he was getting bullied enough to step in because they’ve got a duty of care,” he said.
He also claimed that the clash between Adam and Jimmy was far more intense than viewers saw on screen.
Adam and Jimmy had a huge clash (Credit: ITV)
Craig reveals truth behind Adam and Jimmy’s clash
According to Craig, the argument had to be heavily edited before broadcast.
“They couldn’t broadcast it, I get that, I’m not blaming ITV, they edited it out. So mine and Harry’s response to that was because of what we’d really seen,” he explained, addressing criticism aimed at him and Harry.
“Adam was so wound up, he was so aggressive, it looked like he was going to attack Jimmy, he was dropping F bombs and C bombs,” he said.
“They had to water down what we’d really seen but they didn’t water down our responses. People are thinking, ‘Oh, it wasn’t that bad’, but we weren’t picking on Adam at all, it was just that what he did, and we saved him again,” he added.
Craig went on to say he had believed Adam was a friend, referencing the moment he chose to save him earlier in the week when David was eliminated.
“I thought Adam was my friend, so we saved him again,” he said.
Growing emotional, Craig reflected on their time in camp, saying: “We laughed so much in that jungle, Adam laughed so much in that jungle and then to come back and see it all reduced to a grudge match.”
Alison comforted Craig (Credit: ITV)
Alison Hammond comforts I’m A Celebrity star Craig Charles
As Craig became visibly upset, Alison stepped in to comfort him, telling him: “I’m gonna get up and give you a hug because that was a big thing for you to do.”
Fighting back tears, Craig then raised concerns about the impact the situation has had since leaving the show.
“It’s just that these guys have suffered, their reputations damaged,” he said.
“With this social media campaign, they’ve given this 80-year-old man dog abuse on social media,” he continued, pointing at Harry. “Just because he said, ‘I don’t like the way that Adam reacted’. We didn’t like the way Jimmy reacted, we didn’t like the way Adam reacted.”
Craig’s emotional appearance highlighted just how deeply the fallout from the show has affected those involved, as the debate continues to divide fans.
Read more: Adam Thomas handed fresh blow ahead of I’m A Celebrity live final
The I’m A Celebrity final airs tonight (Friday, April 24) from 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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