Former boxing champion David Haye has made a jaw-dropping claim about life inside the I’m A Celebrity… South Africa camp, alleging that stars on the show were earning as much as £25,000 a day.
Speaking candidly about his experience, David said the huge fee made the jungle’s brutal conditions feel far less intimidating. He explained that contestants were being paid somewhere between £20,000 and £25,000 per day to take part, adding that, for that kind of money, facing a trial or dealing with the camp environment did not feel particularly difficult to him.
David said he had endured far tougher challenges long before reality television, pointing to his years spent in boxing gyms and in the ring for little or no reward. Compared with that, he suggested the jungle was more enjoyable than punishing.
In fact, he insisted he had such a positive time that he would happily sign up all over again. David said he thought I’m A Celebrity was great, described it as good fun, and said he genuinely enjoyed the experience as well as the company of his fellow campmates.
Despite the fierce reaction from some viewers over his conduct and outspoken comments during the series, David made clear he is standing by everything that happened. He said he formed amazing connections with everyone in camp and described the cast as a really nice group of people.
He did admit, however, that the trials were tougher than he remembered. According to David, the show had seriously increased the pressure, from the volume of cockroaches poured over contestants’ heads to the kinds of questions they were expected to answer under stress.
One part he found especially difficult was the trivia element of the challenges. David joked that being spun around and then asked questions about Adele songs left him completely blank, saying he could not think of one even now.
As the cast prepares to reunite for the live finale on Friday, David appears completely unfazed by the controversy that has followed him since leaving the camp. Far from apologising, he doubled down on his position and said viewers are entitled to think whatever they want after watching an edited version of events.
David said this was the real him, and whether people chose to see him as sexist or a bully was their opinion. He added that he did not really care what people thought.
