I’m A Celebrity winner Adam Thomas says what happened in camp was bullying
By Jenny Garnsworthy, Press Association
I’m A Celebrity… South Africa winner Adam Thomas has said he was bullied on the show.
Thomas, who presents a podcast with his brothers Ryan and Scott, repeated his previous comments that he regrets not standing up for himself during his time on the ITV show and brushing it off as “banter”.
The former Emmerdale actor repeatedly clashed with boxer David Haye during the series, with Haye denying claims he bullied Thomas.
Discussing the series on the At Home With The Thomas Bro’s podcast, the soap star said he wanted to set the record straight to be “fair” to anyone else who has been the victim of bullying.
“I feel like there’s a fine line between banter and bullying,” he said.
“I didn’t want to point the finger… I didn’t want to call anyone a bully, right?
“But I’ll just be outright and just say it how it is now: what happened to me in camp is bullying.
“I don’t think it’s fair to people who are going through what I went through in the real world to pass it off as banter, because it’s not.”
Thomas urged anyone listening to “speak up” if they are being bullied.
He told the podcast: “I just want to be clear to anyone out there that is being bullied. I don’t care what anyone says, if you know how you feel, and if that is happening to you, then speak up, no matter what anyone else says.
“Because if you don’t, it will just carry on and carry on.”
Thomas said he later confronted Haye about what happened during the show.
He said: “I spoke to David when I got out and I told him, I asked him, I said, Why? Why did you keep doing this to me? Why did you do it?
“He told me: ‘I’ve never met a nicer guy. I just wanted to break you.’
“Now, if that isn’t classed as bullying, I don’t know what is.
“It may seem like it was banter and not bullying. I understand it, but I’m telling you my truth, right, and how I felt in there, and I’m telling you now it was bullying.”
Thomas fought back tears during the podcast as he spoke of being named the winner of the series during a chaotic live finale which saw some of his fellow campmates walk off set in protest.
Thomas said: “I’ve never won anything before in my life. Never won anything. And the one time that I do… that’s how it goes out?”
The Waterloo Road star also referred to a row he had in camp with former footballer Jimmy Bullard, telling the podcast: “I take full responsibility for my actions and everything that I did in there.
“I should have had more control of myself. But again, you know, emotions got the better of me. I hold my hands up.”
Haye’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
