Ant and Dec have spoken out about David Haye’s treatment of Adam Thomas on I’m A Celebrity South Africa
Ant and Dec have waded into the David Haye controversy, declaring that the incident which triggered bullying complaints was “not nice” to witness.
The former boxer had already found himself mired in controversy following sexist remarks he made about his girlfriend and other women, before he then rounded on Adam Thomas after the actor said he was feeling too unwell to participate in Termite Terror.
It was the latest outburst to leave the South Africa camp reeling, with Gemma Collins subsequently revealing she felt compelled to “protect” the actor.
The presenting duo have now spoken out, making the rare decision to openly criticise the behaviour of an I’m A Celebrity contestant.
The Geordie pair say Haye simply does not know when to stop, as his comments from last week continue to cause uproar amongst the show’s viewers, who have firmly turned against the sports star.
Ant shared his thoughts on the ITV1 show’s podcast I’m A Celebrity… Unpacked, making clear his displeasure at Haye’s choice of words.
He 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.”
Echoing his co-presenter’s sentiments, Dec said: “It’s kind of crossed the line from banter. I don’t find it comfortable to watch.”
Adam, who lives with the autoimmune condition psoriatic arthritis, had asked to be excused from the Bushtucker Trial on Friday after feeling unwell and dehydrated.
Haye said he was being “useless” and stated that he “doesn’t like men like that”.
Gemma Collins was among the celebrities visibly uncomfortable with David’s remarks, and she opened up about it on I’m A Celebrity: Unpacked.
Gemma said: “I think David Haye might have seen a weakness in Adam, there were times where I had to protect Adam in there.
“If I was going full GC mode on David Haye, and a lot of them, then it would’ve been a disaster in there but I had to remain calm and composed and just remember that I’m not here to be performative. I am here as me. I think the fact that I stretched my arms out, I’m sort of saying to ’em all, without biting their heads off, ‘enough’”, reports the Mirror.
She continued: “I knew if it was ever gonna get too bad I would be taking David on. You know, bring on the next heavyweight champion fighting the world….. because if I feel that something’s too much, I’m not afraid to step up.”
Shedding light on how his condition affects his daily life, Adam had previously explained: “It is an autoimmune disease. Basically means my immune system is attacking my own body. It causes a s**t-load of pain.”
Speaking out over the weekend, Adam shared an image from the show — which was filmed towards the end of last year — and wrote on Instagram: “Not going to lie, this picture breaks my heart, as I know on the inside what I was dealing with and truth be told I thought it was all my fault. I now know that’s not the reality… My time in I’m a Celebrity South Africa was one of the toughest things I’ve ever been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“Watching it back hasn’t been easy at all. There were moments I felt pushed to my absolute limit, and if I’m honest, times I didn’t even recognise myself. Living with arthritis is something I don’t really talk about, as much as I should do…but in there it really took its toll. My biggest fight was pretending to put on a brave face and trying to hide the pain! that can be exhausting within itself.
“There were days my body just didn’t want to keep going, but I did. I won’t sit here and say I handled everything perfectly, because I didn’t. I wish I spoke up for myself sooner. I wish I stood my ground instead of trying to keep the peace, but I’ve learned that being kind doesn’t mean being weak, and sometimes it takes going through tough moments to find your voice.”
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