I’m A Celebrity contestant Dean McCullough has addressed the apparent tension with host Ant McPartlin following his exit from the show.
McPartlin had appeared visibly frustrated with McCullough during his seven Bushtucker Trials on the show.
The presenter was particularly annoyed when the Radio 1 DJ quit one of his trials by shouting the safe phrase “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here”.
The tension reached such a point that McPartlin even urged the public to vote for other celebrities to do the trials instead.
Speaking on spin-off show Unpacked, McPartlin said: “This is not a personal thing. It’s not about Dean. It’s about us, just seeing different people down there.”
The Geordie presenter later admitted on the show that his “annoyance came across on screen” and he was “quite unprofessional”.
Dean McCullough shouted I’m A Celebrity during a trial
ITV
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Monday, the Radio 1 DJ opened up about receiving stern treatment from the presenter during his time in the jungle.
“What you don’t see on television is it’s very quiet, it’s all taken very seriously and it’s tense,” McCullough said.
“When Ant was telling me off, it felt like a proper telling off, felt like he meant it and I wanted to win him back around.”
The broadcaster became the second celebrity to leave the show on Sunday night.
Ant McPartlin snapped at Dean McCullough for quitting the trial
ITV
During McCullough’s exit interview, McPartlin explained the reasoning behind his stern approach.
“I was quite harsh on you. Let me explain why Dean. I was so angry at you for calling ‘I’m A Celebrity’,” he admitted.
Declan Donnelly chimed in: “But that was because we felt that the trial was doable. And you panicked over the sand in sarcophagus.”
“You could have done the trial. Then that tough love kind of got you through,” Ant continued.
The presenter later expressed pride in McCullough’s progress, noting: “I was really proud of you at the end and that tough love got you through. By the flying challenge, you were brilliant.”
The tough-love approach appeared to yield positive results for McCullough during his time in camp.
Host Susanna Reid described McPartlin’s approach as “antsy”, which McCullough agreed with while acknowledging its effectiveness.
“It worked. It meant that I eventually got 10 stars home for camp and I got a handshake.”
Despite the initial tension, McCullough seemed content with his jungle experience upon departure.
“I’m not disappointed to be going, I have really soaked up this whole experience, all the trials the things that I’ve faced, got stuck in at camp and I really enjoyed it,” he said.
