I’m A Celebrity’s Dean breaks silence on Ant McPartlin row after sad early exit

After becoming the second celebrity to be voted of this year’s I’m A Celeb, Dean McCullough opened up about his feud with host Ant McPartlin following his failed trials

I’m A Celebrity ‘s Dean McCullough has spoken out about his jungle feud with host Ant McPartlin, admitting he felt like he was ‘told off’.

The Radio 1 DJ was the second contestant to be voted off the ITV reality show on Sunday night, following Jane Moore’s elimination on Friday. Dean, 32, had been voted in to complete seven Bushtucker Trials during his time in camp, and had become known for his squeamish screams during his challenges.

Host Ant could be seen getting frustrated with the broadcaster, with Dean telling Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid and Ed Balls: “When Ant was telling me off for saying ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’, it felt like a proper telling off – it felt like he meant it. So I did what I was told and I wanted to win him back around, which I think I did in the end.”

When Dean became the first contestant to fail a task, shouting the safe phrase ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’, Ant was left fuming. The host had even urged the public to vote for other celebrities to do the trials, telling spin off show Unpacked last weekend: “This is not a personal thing.

“It’s not about Dean. It’s about us, just seeing different people down there. I think we want to see different people on the show doing [trials]. Some people are, unfortunately, aren’t getting… I’d like to see Barry do a trial. I’d like to see Melvin down there. Or Oti.”

Speaking in his post-elimination interview, Dean confronted Ant, saying: “You were so harsh! What was going on?” Levelling with the reality star, Ant candidly admitted: “Let me explain why, Dean. I was very angry with you for calling I’m a celebrity.”

Co-star Dec swiftly added: “But that was because we felt that the trial was doable. And you panicked over the sand in sarcophagus.” Staying firm, Ant went on: “You could have done the trial. Then that tough love kind of got you through.”

Elsewhere in the chat, Dean told hosts Ant and Dec: “I wanted to do my family proud and myself proud. I am a strong person, I’ve just never been in that situation before.”

Adding about his experience as a whole, he explained: “It’s absolutely nuts, I still can’t believe I’m here. I’m not disappointed to be going, I have early soaked up this whole experience, all the trials the things that I’ve faced, got stuck in at camp and I really enjoyed it.

“When I woke up this morning, I thought if I go today I’ll be over the moon, I’ve lived the whole experience, I got to see the Jungle Junkyard. It was nothing like I expected it to be not at all. You don’t see the way the camp has to keep moving, we’re so close, we sleep next to it.”

It comes after a source told the Mail that Dean was previously accused of being a “bully to staff”, saying that some members “didn’t want to keep working with him” and he was moved to the graveyard morning slot. The BBC insider added: “To be honest by the end it was just chaos – there were cover presenters drafted in and producers moved around to try to keep things on track but it became untenable.”