Ant McPartlin, co-presenter of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, has revealed why he seemed irritated with contestant Dean McCullough during the show.
The popular ITV series, hosted by Ant and his partner Declan Donnelly, has captivated audiences for the past fortnight.
As the finale draws near, fans are casting their votes to determine which campmate will survive another day in the Australian wilderness. However, for radio DJ Dean, his journey came to an end as he was voted off on Sunday night (December 1).
Throughout the series, Dean had viewers on tenterhooks as he faced a series of challenging Bushtucker trials. His evident terror sometimes led him to quit early or underperform, which seemed to annoy Anta sentiment noticed by viewers who commented on the host’s apparent frustration, reports the Express.
During Dean’s post-eviction interview, Ant addressed his previous irritation, explaining: “I was quite harsh on you. Let me explain why Dean. I was so angry at you for calling ‘I’m A Celebrity’,” while Dec chimed in, saying: “That was because we felt the trial was doable.”
Ant continued, acknowledging that his stern approach ultimately helped Dean: “Then, that tough love kind of got you through. I was really proud of you at the end and that tough love got you through. By the flying challenge, you were brilliant. I knew you could do it.”
Dean, for his part, seemed quite content with his departure from the camp.
Announcing his exit to his fellow contestants, he exclaimed: “I’m going home, I’m going home, I need my underwear, I’ll see you later! I’m going home!”
During the debrief with presenters Ant and Dec following his eviction, he shared his astonishment at participating in the show, remarking: “Boys, it’s absolutely nuts. I still can’t believe I’m here.”
Ant and Dec picked up on the fact that Dean seemed far from upset about leaving, prompting him to say: “Not at all, I have really soaked up this whole experience. All the trials.”
Dean has been the second star to be voted out of the jungle, following Loose Women’s Jane Moore as the first celebrity to depart the ITV reality series.
I’m A Celeb airs Mondays-Sundays at 9pm on ITV1.