Jimmy Bullard has been criticised after a “major error” during his explosive live clash with Adam Thomas in the I’m A Celebrity South Africa 2026 final.
The former footballer was at the centre of extraordinary scenes on Friday night as tensions spilled over on air following his earlier fallout with Adam in camp.
Jimmy repeatedly accused Adam of being “abusive, aggressive and intimidating”, while also claiming that the show’s edit had not shown the full picture.
Things escalated quickly in the live London broadcast, with Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly stepping in to challenge his claims directly.
Ant told viewers: “I was there and I don’t think that was intimidating. No. I was there.”
Now TV presenter Matt Richardson has weighed in, saying Jimmy made one key mistake in the heat of the moment.
I’m A Celebrity: Jimmy Bullard’s ‘big mistake’ during Adam Thomas row
Matt, who has hosted The Xtra Factor and Virgin Radio’s drivetime show, shared his thoughts on Instagram after the chaotic final.
Having met Jimmy previously, he said the outburst showed how quickly the situation turned against him on live television.
“If you’re Ant and Dec in this moment… they got quite annoyed. I was surprised to see it. But Jimmy made the error of blaming the show while on the show,” he said.
Matt added that although he had heard from a production contact that Jimmy felt he was in the right, the way he raised his concerns changed everything.
“He brought it up wrong and got upset about it in the final,” he explained.
He continued: “Ant and Dec weren’t ultimately defending Adam, they were defending the show.
“Jimmy had basically said it was edited and he felt it protected Adam. That is accusing the show of something while you are on the show. They had to respond to that.”
Matt suggested that even if Jimmy’s concerns had some basis, the live setting left Ant and Dec with little choice but to push back.
‘I really like him’
Despite the criticism, Matt was keen to stress he still has a positive view of Jimmy.
“He’s really good fun and he’s very no nonsense. He is a laugh but he won’t take any nonsense,” he said, having met him in Australia during the 2014 I’m A Celebrity series.
“I really like him. He is obviously very quick to anger. Sinitta supported him, which I think was interesting.”
He also described Jimmy’s behaviour as “passionate” rather than malicious, while praising Adam for staying calm under pressure.
“Adam stayed nice and calm and that benefited him, which ultimately meant he won the night,” he added.
The live final, already packed with drama, quickly became one of the most talked about TV moments of the series.
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