Ant McPartlin is surrounded by security as he comes face to face with Jimmy Bullard while leaving ITV studios after host insisted Adam Thomas was 'not intimidating' during tense I'm A Celeb showdown

A tense I’m A Celebrity finale descended into chaos last night as Jimmy Bullard accused the show of ‘editing out clips’ in a furious rant live on air in a showdown that will go down in TV history.

ITV veterans Ant and Dec failed to keep a lid on proceedings as Jimmy accused Adam Thomas of being ‘abusive, aggressive and intimidating’ during an expletive row in the pre-recorded show last year.

This year’s All Stars series has been plagued with bullying rows and controversial spats between feuding cast mates – Adam, Jimmy and David Haye.

During the final, Ant and Dec gave Jimmy the opportunity to speak after Adam allegedly called him the ‘C-word’ in an explosive clash when Jimmy called ‘I’m a Celebrity’ in one of the trials, which left Adam in danger of going home.

The clash became so heated that Gemma Collins and Sinitta stormed off stage as Jimmy went around each campmate to ask if they thought Adam’s behaviour was ‘aggressive and abusive’.

The explosive confrontation finished with Ant telling Jimmy: ‘Right, let’s leave it there. We’ll agree to disagree’, after plenty of back and forth.

Just hours after the finale, Ant suffered an awkward run-in with Jimmy as he headed home alongside his wife, Anne-Marie Corbett.

Ant appeared to laugh off the matter as Jimmy attempted to get his attention, before a security guard stepped in.

While making great TV, the confrontation between the celebrities and the hosts will likely bring into question the future of the show.

Ant McPartlin was surrounded by security as he came face to face with Jimmy Bullard after a chaotic I’m A Celebrity finale on Friday night

The show descended into complete mayhem on Friday, with Jimmy accusing hosts Ant and Declan Donnelly for ‘editing out clips’ in a furious rant live on air

Adam was named King Of The Jungle, but looked downcast as he made his exit alongside brothers Ryan and Scott Thomas after his win was overshadowed by feuds.

Jimmy admitted he ‘threw Adam under the bus’ when he quit a trial that sparked the explosive clash that left viewers at home in shock.

The former footballer admitted he had to leave for personal reasons and that if he didn’t say ‘I’m A Celebrity’ in the challenge, he would not have received 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 said.

‘But what I don’t stand on, is someone being abusive, aggressive and intimidating, I don’t stand on that.’

Welcoming Ant and Dec to share their opinion on the matter, Jimmy said: ‘You [pointing to the hosts] were there and you didn’t show any of that [footage].’

‘You didn’t show any of the C-bombs, it’s a liberty’, Jimmy fumed.

Ant argued: ‘The reason we didn’t air the C-bomb is because that is unbroadcastable.

‘I was there and I didn’t think it was intimidating. I was there Jim.’

David, who has been accused of ‘bullying’ Adam during the show, disagreed with Ant and backed the former footballer as he demanded answers as to why Adam was hurling obscenities at Jimmy.

Adam hit back at David, telling him to ‘let the finalists speak’, which received cheers from the crowd in the live audience.

During Adam’s opportunity to speak, he said: ‘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 have apologised to Jimmy on numerous occasions and I do take everything that he is saying into account and the only thing I can do is apologise.

‘That is not how I want to show myself off and I have never shown myself off like that before or after that. I do apologise Jimmy.’

‘Funny way of showing it’, David interjected before Ant and Dec furiously told him to stop interrupting.

David continued: ‘I like to say how I see it, I like to keep it real and what I have seen is a lot of editing to make this poor guy [pointing to Adam] the victim so the people will support him.

‘We all had banter back and forth, a lot of it was cut out from their side. But I think it is time for the truth.’

Storming off stage, Sinitta yelled at the audience: ‘Guys, you weren’t there, I was there and it was aggressive and abusive, we were shaking.’

Gemma, who is a close friend of Adam, then followed as she also left the stage.

Jimmy shouted in the background: ‘You can’t be aggressive, abusive and intimating, it doesn’t matter if Adam said sorry.

‘I will not take you [Ant] saying it wasn’t aggressive, abusive and intimating, you can’t say that. Show it, let everyone watch it, let’s play it now!’

Ant and Dec wrapped up: ‘Right, let’s leave it there. We’ll agree to disagree Jim.’

Join the discussion

Was this just reality TV drama – or did it go too far?

King Of The Jungle Adam looked downcast as he made his exit alongside brothers Ryan and Scott Thomas

When Jimmy accused Adam Thomas of being ‘abusive, aggressive and intimidating’ during an expletive row in the pre-recorded show last year, Ant argued otherwise

Jimmy appeared unimpressed by Ant’s opinion on the matter

Ant appeared to laugh off the ordeal as Jimmy attempted to get his attention, before a security guard stepped in

Just hours after the finale, Ant suffered an awkward run-in with Jimmy as he headed home alongside his wife, Anne-Marie Corbett

Meanwhile, Declan Donnelly beamed on his exit despite the drama

Adam’s brothers’ Ryan and Scott appeared to be deep in conversation following the showdown

Adam looked unimpressed that his win was overshadowed by feuds

Scott and Ryan walked out of the building shortly before Adam

Jimmy was seen speaking to his controversial co-star David Haye after their fiery appearance on the show

Jimmy revealed he quit the show early due to monetary purposes

Jimmy was glued to his phone after the tense finale

David took some phone calls after his fiery exchange with Adam

Mo Farah kept the vibes up as he waved on his exit

Gemma Collins looked stylish in a polka dot Adidas co-ord as she made her way out of the studio

Pregnant Scarlett Moffatt brushed off the drama as she sweetly smiled

Harry Redknapp was supported by his wife Sandra at the finale

After airing Adam’s final eating trial in Friday night’s show, which fans branded ‘horrendous’, Gemma Collins urged: ‘He will forever be my hero, Adam. He so deserves to win!’

Looking visibly unhappy with the praise Adam was receiving, David interrupted hosts Ant and Dec to ask: ‘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 proudly replied.

‘Don’t you think you should ask Jimmy whether he thinks he deserves to win?’, David added. ‘Because there was a lot of that stuff cut out of it.’

As Ant and Dec tried to control the situation, Dec urged: ‘We will come to this, we are going to ask Jimmy later and we will speak to you as well.’

‘There was a lot of stuff that was said that was unbroadcastable [sic]’, Ant confirmed.

In the scenes that did air of the fiery clash, Adam could be seen shouting at his co-star: ‘Jimmy, are you f***ing taking the p***? I am in there getting covered in f***ing ants.’

Jimmy replied: ‘Woah, calm down. That’s pathetic.’

However, Craig and several other co-stars have since claimed that Adam dropped the C-bomb multiple times in unaired scenes.

Craig Charles finished in fourth place, with Harry Redknapp and Mo Farah placing second and third.

Earlier in the episode, Adam awkwardly glossed over his aggressive row with Jimmy as he addressed the ‘drama’ for the first time.

‘It certainly hasn’t been short of drama this year’, Declan quipped as he kicked off the live final.

Addressing the drama in camp for the first time, Adam said: ‘I know there was a lot of drama that went on in a lot of camp but honestly we had the best time and I am just thankful I got to share so many memories with these guys.’

Former footballer Jimmy listened closely in the audience to what Adam had to say following a string of ‘bullying rows’ that has plagued this year’s show.

‘It’s not going to kick off, what a shame’, Ant laughed, unaware of what was to come.

Amongst some cheers, Adam was greeted by a smattering of boos as he took to the stage.

Adam failed to appear on This Morning for promotional interviews alongside Harry, Mo and Craig on Friday.

Instead, his campmate Craig spoke on the show about the ‘bullying rows’ and said he feared Adam was going ‘attack’ campmate Jimmy during expletive-filled row over a jungle trial.

Opening up about the incident, Craig said: ‘They watered down the Jimmy Bullard incident, it was unbroadcastable as it was.

‘It was deeply traumatic and really upsetting, it was between the two of them, Adam was so wound up, he was so aggressive, like a coiled up spring, it looked like he was going to attack Jimmy.

‘He was dropping f-bombs and c-bombs… It really was traumatic and they couldn’t broadcast it, and I’m not blaming ITV, they couldn’t [put it out].’

Craig added of the incident: ‘They had to water down what [viewers saw] but they didn’t water down our responses, so people were thinking, “Oh, it wasn’t that bad, why are they picking on Adam?”

‘We weren’t picking on Adam at all, it was just what he did.’

Craig Charles finished in fourth place, with Harry Redknapp and Mo Farah placing second and third

‘It certainly hasn’t been short of drama this year’, Declan Donnelly quipped as he kicked off the live final

This week, Adam revealed he was receiving therapy on his At Home With The Thomas Bros podcast, as he emotionally said his ‘feud’ with boxer David ‘f***ed’ with him.

Breaking down in tears, Adam said: ‘It was like being back in school again and although it wasn’t physical bullying or anything like that, and I’m not saying it’s bullying, but he was just mind f***ing me.

‘And I just never stuck up for myself whilst I was in there and I was like “s**t bro, I wish I stuck up for myself”. That was beating me up more than anything.’

He continued: ‘I’m not the same person, like I know for a fact I am not the same person as I was when I went into the jungle to when I came out. It’s changed me and that’s no over exaggeration.

‘I’m in therapy now because, like it’s f***ed with me mentally because I just thought, “How is this happening? I’m a 37-year-old man”. I’m like, “How am I letting some other person do this to me in here?”‘

David has continued to take swipes at Adam, including a vile social media jibe as well as claiming the dad-of-two was paid between ‘£20-25k per day’ for his appearance on the ITV show.

The boxer had sparked bullying complaints from viewers over his comments to Adam when he excused himself from the Termite Terror trial over his health.

Adam, who suffers from autoimmune condition psoriatic arthritis, had told his campmates he did not feel well enough to compete.

During his appearance on This Morning, Craig was asked about the ‘bullying’ claims in camp and revealed that the campmates had been unaware that Adam was being affected by such behaviour and suggested ITV ‘didn’t think he was getting bullied enough to step in’.

The Red Dwarf star said: ‘Since we’ve got back, the last few weeks, it’s all been over social media that Harry, Mo and I were not there for Adam when he was getting bullied.

‘Let me tell you a little story, it all started when they were the Rhinos, and me and Adam were Lions, and we were the underdogs – [they had] David Haye the boxer, Harry the gaffer, Ashley Roberts who was fit as a fiddle.

‘You had me, a broken down TV star, Gemma Collins… but we won every challenge and we gave them dogs abuse, me and Adam, over the fence, ribbing them, jest and banter, we wrecked them.

‘We were relentless, we poked the bear, and then David Haye came back at us – now, Adam gave as good as he got, he really did give as good as he got, he was laughing and we didn’t realise he was being emotionally affected by it.

‘He never told us, I asked him yesterday, “Well why didn’t you tell us?” and he said, “I didn’t want to appear weak”. We didn’t know.

‘ITV have got a duty of care, they have got 24/7 people on high definition close ups picking it all out, but they didn’t think he was getting bullied enough to step in – they have a duty of care, they would have stepped in if they thought he was being bullied.

‘We didn’t see it until that final morning when I thought David got a bit nasty, I thought, “This is turning into bullying, this, now” and on that final morning, I found myself in the perfect position, voting people out, I saved Adam knowing that the other two were not going to pick David, thereby ensuring David went home.

‘We were there for him, we didn’t know the extent of his troubles.’

I’M A CELEBRITY ALL-STARS 2026: MEET THE CAMPMATES

GEMMA COLLINS

The GC took part in the 14th series of I’m A Celebrity back in 2014

AGE: 45

SERIES: 2014 (14th series) quit after 72 hours

OCCUPATION: Reality star

FAMOUS FOR: Gemma, popularly known as The GC, rose to fame on the reality series The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE). She is known for her larger-than-life ‘diva’ persona.

ASHLEY ROBERTS

As the 2012 runner-up, Ashley said going on I’m A Celebrity was life-changing

AGE: 44

SERIES: 2012 runner-up (12th series)

OCCUPATION: Heart Radio presenter, Pussycat Doll

FAMOUS FOR: Ashley Roberts is a showbiz correspondent for Heart Breakfast. She rose to fame in noughties girlband the Pussycat Dolls.

SIR MO FARAH

Sir Mo Farah, 43, is hoping to conquer his fear of snakes

AGE: 43

SERIES: Fifth place in 2020 (20th series set in Wales)

OCCUPATION: Olympian

FAMOUS FOR: Sir Mo is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic history. He won gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

DAVID HAYE

Former World Champion boxer David Haye thinks nothing will scare him in the jungle

AGE: 45

SERIES: 2012, came in third place (12th series)

OCCUPATION: Boxer

FAMOUS FOR: David is a legendary British former professional boxer. He is one of only three boxers in history to have unified the world titles at cruiserweight and gone on to become a world heavyweight champion.

SCARLETT MOFFATT

Scarlett Moffatt, 35, admitted she was feeling apprehensive about the jungle

AGE: 35

SERIES: 2016 Queen of the jungle (16th series)

OCCUPATION: Reality star

FAMOUS FOR: Scarlett became a TV favourite after joining Gogglebox. She went on to win I’m A Celebrity in 2016.

SEANN WALSH

Since Australia, Seann Walsh is now a proud dad of two

AGE: 40

SERIES: 2022, finished in fifth place (22nd series)

OCCUPATION: Comedian

FAMOUS FOR: Seann Walsh is a comedian who was caught in a cheating scandal when he starred in Strictly in 2016 alongside his professional partner Katya Jones.

SINITTA

Sinitta, 62, hopes she will finally conquer her phobia of ‘everything’

AGE: 62

SERIES: 2011, voted out second (11th series)

OCCUPATION: Eighties popstar

FAMOUS FOR: Sinitta, first reached global fame in the 1980s with hits like So Macho and Toy Boy. She was also known for her guest appearances on The X Factor.

JIMMY BULLARD

Former footballer Jimmy, 47, will be joining his fellow co-stars Gemma and Craig

AGE: 47

SERIES: 2014 (10th place)

OCCUPATION: Former footballer

FAMOUS FOR: Known as ‘The Bulldog’, Jimmy was a highly technical and energetic midfielder who became a cult hero for his sense of humour and iconic celebrations.

ADAM THOMAS

Adam’s son, Teddy, was only two when he first did the Australian jungle

AGE: 37

SERIES: Third place in 2016 (16th series)

OCCUPATION: Actor

FAMOUS FOR: Adam is famous for starring in Waterloo Road and Emmerdale. He recently returned to Waterloo Road for its 20th anniversary.

HARRY REDKNAPP

Harry Redknapp won the 18th series of I’m A Celebrity back in 2018

AGE: 79

SERIES: 18th series in 2018. I’m A Celebrity King Of The Jungle.

OCCUPATION: Legendary football manager

FAMOUS FOR: Harry Redknapp’s career spans over 60 years in professional football, transitioning from a skilful winger to one of the most recognisable managers in Premier League history.

CRAIG CHARLES

Corrie legend Craig, 61, was another celebrity who starred in the 14th series

AGE: 61

SERIES: 2014 quit early

OCCUPATION: Actor

FAMOUS FOR: Craig is most famous for his role as Dave Lister in the cult science-fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and for playing Lloyd Mullaney in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street.