I’m A Celebrity 2022 RECAP: Zara Tindall meets campmate for very first time as pair embrace in heartwarming moment
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AN I'm a Celebrity campmate shared a heartwarming embrace with Zara Tindall as he finally met the royal following Sunday's finale.
Hollyoaks star, 23, took an interest in his campmate Mike's royal roots while in the jungle, asking the rugby star: "When you first started chatting to Zara, how late in did you know she was royalty, straight away?"
To which Mike replied: "Yeah. Because I know she's Princess Anne's daughter. Princess Anne is patron of Scottish rugby."
And Owen finally got to meet the iconic royal this week as he arrived at the friends and family hotel, where he and Zara were all smiles as they shared a heartwarming embrace.
Owen finished second in this year's series, as former Lioness Jill Scott was crowned jungle queen after stealing the nation's hearts.
The I'm A Celebrity Coming Out Show airs on ITV1 on Thursday night.
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The campmates' time in the jungle might be over for this year, but we still have the Coming Out show before the series comes to an end.
Don't miss all the reunion action by heading to our brand new I'm A Celebrity blog.
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Jill Scott was praised as ‘inspirational’ by her former PE teacher
Jill Scott‘s home city, Sunderland, is over the moon with her success in I’m A Celebrity.
Her former PE teacher at Monkwearmouth Academy, which Jill attended from 1997 to 2022, said that the former Lioness is a “true inspiration” for the younger generation and the school is “extremely proud” of her.
Former teacher Judith O’Leary said, as reported by the : “It’s unbelievable what Jill has achieved this year, first at the Euro’s and then in I’m a Celebrity. I’ve been blown away by what she’s done.
“But what you see is what you get with Jill and the whole nation saw just what a genuine person she is – something which was recognised by the other camp-mates.
“She comes back to visit the school and is always very humble and down-to-earth. On the show last night she said she couldn’t believe 12 million people had phoned in to vote – and she said that because she genuinely doesn’t appreciate how wonderful she is.”
Voting numbers for I’m A Celeb winner revealed by ITV
Jill Scott was crowned the Queen of the Jungle after she received 57.7% of the public vote according to ITV.
Owen Warner finished in second with 42.3% while the former health secretary, Matt Hancock, was far from the top two.
In the first round of votes, Matt Hancock received 21.7% of the vote compared to Warner’s 31% and Scott’s 47.3%.
Ant and Dec revealed that there were over 12million votes cast in during the final.
Upon the incredible news, Jill Scott said: “I just can’t believe it. Honestly, I think I’m going to owe my grandma a lot of money for the 12 million votes she’s done. We were one big team, I don’t think there should be one winner, we couldn’t have got through it without all of us.”
Boy George only follows one I'm A Celeb campmate on Instagram
Boy George has sparked rumours of an I'm A Celeb feud by only following one campmate on Instagram as the celeb's leave Australia.
The chosen campmate followed by the singer is Radio X DJ Chris Moyles.
The pop icon has yet to show Instagram love to his other campmates after leaving the jungle last week.
Read more here.
Will Jill Scott be the Lionesses’ David Beckham?
According to public relations expert Gary Farrow – Sir Elton John‘s ex-manager – predicts that Jill Scott can become a David Beckham-like figure with promoter deals and motivational speeches.
She became the first ever I’m A Celebrity LGBT winner and already inspired many girls across the country with her triumph with the Lionesses in July.
Farrow told the : “he is a successful footballer, has a MBE and has won over millions of people on I’m a Celeb. She can make a fortune. David Beckham has promoted big businesses such as Gillette, promoted perfumes, cosmetics, clothes and cars. There is no reason why Jill couldn’t do the same.
“People will want to see her after dinner speeches and motivational speeches and she will also be spoilt for choice.”
Everyone wants Owen
After his success on I’m A Celeb, fans think that Owen Warner won’t stay on Hollyoaks for much longer, despite the 23-month contract he signed just before he went into the jungle.
The Sun revealed that he is set to receive million after his appearance on I’m A Celeb and Boohoo Man make part of the bidding war to sign him up.
A source close to Owen said: “The approaches have already started from big, household family brands. He takes such good care of his physical and mental health, has family values and a strong work ethic and that’s all a big plus to these sorts of companies.
“He’s a really safe bet for brands and he is a clothes horse for sure! But he’s likely to be really selective about what he does and he will take great care to consider who he is aligning with.”
I’m A Celeb feud exposed as Matt Hancock is snubbed by former campmates
After leaving the jungle, Matt Hancock is only followed by five of his campmates on social media.
So far only Owen Warner, Babatunde Aleshe, Mike Tindall, Scarlette Douglas, and Seann Walsh have chosen to follow Matt on Instagram.
Jungle Queen Jill Scott, singer Boy George, Loose Women star Charlene White, DJ Chris Moyles, and presenters Ant and Dec have yet to press the follow button three days after the final aired.
Matt, on the other hand has followed Ant and Dec, Jill, George, Chris and Charlene on Instagram.
Read more here.
What’s next for Jill Scott?
Jill Scott hung her boots after she led the Lionesses to a Euros win against Germany in July.
She had another success in the jungle, but now what’s next for her?
She currently runs a coffee shop, Boxx2Boxx, with her fiance Shelly Unitt, but are there other projects in store?
On Good Morning Britain, Jill said: “I haven’t got any plans. When I retired, I should have had a plan. That’s how I landed in the jungle.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do next. If you give everything every single day, keep trying to be a good person, see what happens.
I'm A Celeb star Scarlette says campmates have now become 'family'
Scarlette Douglas has shared a sweet post on Instagram this morning as she bids farewell to her time in Australia.
The former campmate shared two snaps of this year's I'm A Celeb cast alongside presenting duo Ant and Dec.
Captioning the post, Scarlette said: ''What a blessing!! These incredible people are now my family and I couldn’t be happier! Best camp mates EVER!
''Class of ‘22.''
Bake Off star takes a savage swipe at Matt Hancock
Former Bake Off host Sue Perkins has taken a savage swipe at Matt Hancock following his stint in the I'm a Celebrity jungle.
Prior to entering the camp, the former Health Secretary insisted one of the reasons he signed up was to raise awareness of dyslexia.
Now, Sue Perkins has called out Matt Hancock, demanding to know just how much he'd spoken about the learning difficulty while taking part in the show.
Taking to social media, the former Bake Off host wrote: "I didn’t watch. Did he ever mention dyslexia? #hancock."
And Sue had the perfect response when asked: "Why do you care?"
She hit back: "Because he's an elected official, paid to mind his constituents in this time of crisis. That's why I care."
Read more here.
Fans reveal their favourite Matt Hancock moment during his stint in the jungle
Viewers of this year's I'm A Celebrity have revealed their favourite Matt Hancock moments, as the former Health Secretary spent 22 days in the jungle.
Taking to social media, one viewer wrote: ''His calm terminator style walk at the beginning of Celebrity Cyclone. Loved watching Matt in the jungle, I thought he was brilliant.''
A second said: ''Him nearly falling off the bridge at the beginning was a bit funny.''
What was your favourite Matt Hancock moment?
Secret snub to Matt Hancock by Ant and Dec spotted by body language expert
According to a body language expert, I'm A Celeb hosts Ant and Dec appeared to snub Matt Hancock by refusing to give him an easy ride during his exit interview.
The former health secretary, who came in third place, was desperate for the comedic duo to indulge in a bit of banter – but instead he got grilled.
Judi James explained: “Within moments, Matt was in full political mode, looking wary and full of bluster as he used verbal fillers as his eyes scanned about to prompt his brain to dig deep for some on-message responses.
“The way Matt’s eyes also flicked from Ant to Dec as he spoke suggested he was desperately looking for those cheeky smiles and jolly banter but getting next to nothing.”
She continued to the: “He tried to be funny, and he went for a fun eye expression but the only laugh from the other side of the table sounded rather mirthless as Dec asked ‘Do you understand those reactions?’ like a seasoned political interviewer.”
Read more here.
I'm A Celeb winner Jill Scott is heading home
Former campmate Charlene White has shared a sweet message to Jill Scott as the I'm A Celeb winner heads back home.
Taking to Instagram, Charlene shared a snap alongside the new Queen of the jungle and wrote: ''Our @imacelebrity Queen is heading home… and my heart is full of so much pride and love for this woman ❤️❤️.
''She’s got the kindest and biggest heart, is ridiculously funny, came up with the best games to play in camp, has the best one-liners, is superbly talented, and was quite simply a joy to be around.
''She deserves all the love ❤️❤️.
''(And yes Jill, as promised I will take you to @burgerandlobster next time you’re in London - after you’ve given Alfie & Florence their football training session!)''
I’m A Celebrity recorded its biggest final audience since 2018
The final episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! on Sunday evening recorded the biggest audience since 2018, with 11.5million viewers tuning in to see Jill Scott crowned Queen of the jungle.
In 2018, the final show averaged 10.1million viewers, while this year’s amounts make them 3.6million higher than 2021.
Across different devices and platforms, the series averages 11.1million viewers weekly.
Owen Warner reveals dramatic weight loss on ‘jungle diet’
I'm A Celeb star Owen Warner has revealed how much weight he lost on his ‘jungle diet.’
During his time in the camp, the 23-year-old had been desperate for as much food as possible and struggled with the rations they were given.
Away from the jungle, Owen revealed that typically he’s used to eating a whopping six meals a day.
Now, after a diet of rice and beans for the last few weeks, the former campmate has revealed he lost a stone in weight and weighed in at 12st 2oz (78kg).
He’d originally gone into the jungle weighing 13st 3oz (85kg).
Read more here.
Blair says Hancock 'may have had a point' over using IAC to 'reach out to voters'
Former Labour leader and PM Tony Blair has suggested that Mr Hancock, who said entering the jungle would allow him to reach out to voters in a new way, might have had "a point".
He said of the former health secretary's stint in the jungle: "I don't think people's political views are going to be changed one way or another.
"But I think the problem with politics nowadays is how do you communicate with people when you're going into fragmented, media, social media, and when it's quite difficult to get a message across to people who aren't in your circle, because the way the media works today is essentially, it works by developing a constituency of people and essentially appealing to that constituency.
"And if you're not careful, you don't break out and go and talk to the people who disagree with you. So, I guess in that sense, he's got a point. But it's quite an extreme way of reaching the public."
Hancock's I'm A Celeb stint 'took courage' says former PM
Former prime minister Tony Blair has offered some support to former health secretary Matt Hancock as he returns from the I'm A Celebrity jungle, suggesting that the unorthodox move "took courage".
The Tory MP is returning to face angry colleagues, constituents and questions about his political future in Westminster after coming third in the ITV show.
The West Suffolk MP surpassed the expectations of many by reaching the final but came behind the winner, Euro 2022 champion Jill Scott, and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner in a public vote on Sunday night.
His 21 days in the Australian jungle have seen him suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party and criticised by colleagues including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
But Sir Tony, who said that he had not been watching the popular TV show, had some supportive words for the former Cabinet minister.
"When you've been through the wringer as he has, and you know, as a politician who's got to a certain level in politics, he's probably got quite a lot of courage to go and do something like that.
"And I mean, people can attack him or whatever. But I always say this to (former Labour frontbencher) Ed Balls, who reinvented himself in this extraordinary way after leaving politics, and literally this is the most surprising thing I ever came across in terms of a post ministerial career.
"But, you know, it takes a lot of courage to go do something like that. I wished him well, from the outset. I worked with him a bit during the pandemic. And, you know, he was working hard, they were all working hard on it."
Mike admits he ‘loves’ fellow campmate in exit interview
Speaking of his experience on I’m A Celebrity, Mike said: “It has been a lot of laughs.
“I mean that is the best thing you can get through anything when the humour is good and in all fairness to everyone, everyone has their distinct humour and Seann will always stick in my head.
“I just love that guy.”
Mike added: “Coming in I wasn’t worried about the stay, I wasn’t worried about the food, I sort of got myself in that place, my experience was going to be what happened in camp and the trials because I knew that Mia would want me to do trials with creepy crawlies because that is just how she likes it.”
What happened during Celebrity Cyclone?
Jill made it to her star marker but had dropped a star so had to go back.
Matt shocked everyone by diving into the first plunge pool.
He then strode confidently up the course, but he then dropped a star and on his return was pelted by yoga balls and water.
He then dropped another star so had to repeat his journey.
Mike rugby tackled Matt to get hold of the stars he needed. Once in place, Owen tried walking up the course, but kept slipping over.
Eventually in place they were then all washed away back to the start, only to get back in position and be washed away again!
But when the final time was called, all four were in position and won four meals for camp.
Will Mike Tindall go quiet after his I'm A Celeb stint
Mike Tindall never revealed why he joined I'm A Celebrity, but at least he took home £265,000.
The former England rugby player became the first-ever royal to participate in the ITV reality show and returned home to his wife Zara after finishing fourth.
Sir Elton John's ex-manager and PR expert Gary Farrow said: "He's already rich and successful, and has a royal wife and lifestyle. He lost a lot of weight in the camp - I wonder if this is why he did it. It was a highly-paid diet for him. It might boost his rate for speeches, but I think he'll disappear after this."
So what other public appearance might Mike be making now?
What's next for Matt Hancock?
Matt Hancock's appearance on I'm A Celebrity urged the Conservative party to suspend him and received criticism from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Sunak said: “We’ve spent however long it has been about all these challenges that the country faces and not just me but MPs not just from my party, from all parties, are focused on debating and trying to solve. I think that’s what we should be focused on and that’s why I was disappointed he went on the show.”
He insisted that he will return to work as usual at Westminster while he awaits the release of his new book, Pandemic Diaries, on Tuesday, December 6.
On the other hand, business secretary Grant Shapps said: "I do think that his true position should have been in Parliament this last few weeks, and serving his constituents.
"You know, it’s often said that politics is show-business for ugly people. He should be with us uglies back in the House rather than the jungle down under."
Shapps was asked whether Hancock should resign from Parliament and he responded: "I don’t know, I haven’t spoken to him about it but I suspect he may have already reached that conclusion. Why would you go off and spend all that time in the jungle if you were going to carry on in Parliament? I’m only speculating."
Will Jill Scott be the Lionesses' David Beckham?
According to public relations expert Gary Farrow - Sir Elton John's ex-manager - predicts that Jill Scott can become a David Beckham-like figure with promoter deals and motivational speeches.
She became the first ever I'm A Celebrity LGBT winner and already inspired many girls across the country with her triumph with the Lionesses in July.
Farrow told the : "he is a successful footballer, has a MBE and has won over millions of people on I'm a Celeb. She can make a fortune. David Beckham has promoted big businesses such as Gillette, promoted perfumes, cosmetics, clothes and cars. There is no reason why Jill couldn't do the same.
"People will want to see her after dinner speeches and motivational speeches and she will also be spoilt for choice."
No feud between Matt Hancock and Boy George
Boy George shut down rumours of a feud with Matt Hancock after he posted a video on his Twitter with Matt Hancock planting a kiss on his cheek.
Reunited after the MP left camp - finishing the show in third place, Boy George asked: "How much do you hate me, Matt? He hates me! Stupid people."
The rumours came after the two had an encounter in the camp when Boy George told Seann Walsh: "I can’t stand Matt. I have tried to like him and I’ve failed. I find him slimy, I find him slippery."
He later told Matt: "I have been hating on you, I have to be honest. I sometimes feel like you don’t say what you mean and you’re not particularly direct."
The star added: "I’m trying to separate you as a human being and you as a politician, and I’m struggling with it. We don’t share the same politics. I am struggling a little bit with you.”
Matt insisted: "I'm just being me" - but told George he was glad he'd spoken about his issues to his face, saying he'd "enjoyed spending time" with him.
Mike Tindall opens up on his I'm A Celeb letter
Every year, I'm A Celeb contestants receive letters from their loved ones, and Mike Tindall was expecting one from his brother.
However, the royal revealed yesterday on Good Morning Britain that he was surprised when he received it and found out that it was written by his wife and Princess Anne's daughter, Zara.
He said: "I think that is probably the hardest thing about the whole show. Especially when you have three little ones as well is being away for that period of time.
"Originally she wasn't going to write me the note because I carry them quite close to the surface anyway. I try and put in that situation emotions down below, so I was trying to get my brother to write the letter so he would actually take the mickey out of me a bit more and it would be a grounding one, rather than bringing it all back to the surface.
"But, she was sneaky on me, sneaky little one, so it got me a little bit that. But we had a great camp that got everyone through the wobble. That was my biggest worry coming in, coming from that team background, if the dynamic wasn't right it is going to make for a bad time, but I had 11 great friends in there. That made for a wicked camp."
Mike Tindall on royal reaction to his stint on I'm A Celeb
Mike Tindall - the first-ever royal to participate in I'm A Celebrity - spoke with Susanna Reid, Ed Balls and Richard Arnold on Good Morning Britain today.
He is convinced that he will receive some interesting Christmas gifts from the royal family following his stint on the ITV reality show which saw him finish fourth.
He was asked whether he knew how many members of the Royal family were watching and he responded: "I'm not - but I'm sure I'll find out at some point. Christmas is around the corner. Let's see if some interesting gifts come under the tree.
"There's some sense of humour kicking around in the family so I'll wait for some interesting gifts to see how many people were watching. I don't think she [Princess Anne] was watching, but I think Zara might have told her [about his discussion when he revealed he split his pants in front of his mother in law and was wearing 'nibble my nuts' underwear].
"I'm pretty sure it's probably etched in her memory for all the wrong reasons so I'll hide away from that one."