Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly couldn’t resist making a cheeky jibe at the explosive I’m A Celebrity drama as they made their highly anticipated return to TV for the Britain’s Got Talent semi-final on Saturday night. The duo, both 50, seemed to be enjoying the break from the chaos that erupted just hours earlier during the I’m A Celeb live final.
The live final descended into total chaos when ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard accused eventual winner Adam Thomas of being “abusive, aggressive, and intimidating” during a heated exchange on the pre-recorded show last year. Ant and Dec struggled to control the situation, as tensions between Jimmy, Adam, and the other contestants ran high.
After the dramatic finale, Ant experienced an awkward run-in with Jimmy as he headed home alongside his wife, Anne-Marie Corbett. While the situation was tense, Ant appeared to laugh off the exchange as Jimmy attempted to get his attention before a security guard stepped in.
Fast forward to the Britain’s Got Talent semi-final, and the hosts, known for their witty banter, didn’t hold back. Ant, ever the joker, spoke to the BGT judges and said, “We had quite enough drama on TV last night, so can you please, you four, be on your best behavior?”
As a nod to the I’m A Celeb drama, Dec added, “If you misbehave, you’ll be out quicker than Sinitta!” This reference was a playful jab at the moment when Sinitta and Gemma Collins stormed off the I’m A Celeb stage in fury after the fiery confrontation.
As the Britain’s Got Talent semi-final rolled on, Amanda Holden joined in the fun, joking, “After watching your extraordinary performance last night, I took notes. I have learned from the best!”
During the explosive final of I’m A Celeb, Jimmy Bullard admitted that he had “thrown Adam under the bus” by quitting a trial that had sparked a furious confrontation. He explained that he left the challenge for personal reasons and needed to say “I’m A Celebrity” in order to receive his full pay.
“Listen, Adam and all of you can be upset with me, and I absolutely threw him under the bus, I get it and I’ll wear that,” Jimmy admitted. “But what I don’t stand on is someone being abusive, aggressive, and intimidating. I don’t stand on that.”
During the chaotic scenes, Ant and Dec gave Jimmy the floor to share his side of the story, after Adam allegedly called him the “C-word” during an explosive confrontation when Jimmy decided to quit a challenge. The argument became so heated that Sinitta and Gemma Collins stormed off stage as Jimmy went around asking their fellow campmates if they thought Adam’s behavior was “aggressive and abusive.”
Afterward, Ant and Dec struggled to regain control of the live final. When Adam was given the opportunity to speak, he expressed, “I take full responsibility for my actions, and yes, emotions were definitely running high in that moment. I have nothing but love for Jimmy in that moment. I’ve apologized to Jimmy on numerous occasions, and I do take everything he is saying into account.”
“I do apologize, Jimmy,” Adam continued, emphasizing that this was not how he wanted to present himself. Despite his apology, David Haye, who had been accused of bullying Adam during the show, voiced his disagreement, insisting that the entire situation was edited to make Adam look like the victim.
Sinitta, visibly upset, stormed off the stage, telling the audience, “You weren’t there, I was, and it was aggressive and abusive. We were shaking.” Gemma followed suit, also leaving the stage.
Jimmy, still agitated, shouted in the background, “You can’t be aggressive, abusive, and intimidating—it doesn’t matter if Adam said sorry. I will not take you [Ant] saying it wasn’t aggressive, abusive, and intimidating. You can’t say that. Show it, let everyone watch it. Let’s play it now!”
Ant and Dec, now visibly frustrated, wrapped up the situation, with Dec quipping, “Right, let’s leave it there. We’ll agree to disagree, Jim.”
As the final episode of I’m A Celeb aired, viewers saw Adam completing his final eating trial, a challenge that was deemed “horrendous” by fans. Gemma Collins, despite the earlier drama, defended Adam, saying, “He will forever be my hero. He so deserves to win!”
However, David was not pleased with the praise Adam received, as he interrupted the hosts and questioned, “Do you think he deserves to win this after calling Jimmy the C-word a couple of times?”
“Yeah, after that challenge, I do think I deserve to win,” Adam replied proudly.
David, not backing down, added, “Don’t you think you should ask Jimmy whether he thinks he deserves to win? Because there was a lot of that stuff cut out of it.”
As Ant and Dec tried to keep the peace, Dec responded, “We’ll come to this. We are going to ask Jimmy later, and we will speak to you as well.”
Ant wrapped up by saying, “There was a lot of stuff that was said that was unbroadcastable.”
