I’m A Celebrity stars Barry McGuigan and Maura Higgins were given quite the warm welcome on Thursday as they arrived back at the hotel in Surfers Paradise, Australia following their double elimination.
Boxer Barry, 63, had to act fast as his delighted former campmate, radio star Melvin Odoom, 44, leapt into his arms as he made his way into the hotel lobby.
Meanwhile, Love Island favourite Maura, 34, was offered a more graceful greeting as she shared a sweet embraced with Loose Women’s Jane Moore, 62.
Jane and Melvin were joined by fellow evicted campmate Dean McCullough, 32, in the lobby of the hotel, where they had waited alongside the celebrity’s friends and family to greet the evictees.
One notable absence was that of Tulisa Contostavlos, who snubbed the I’m A Celebrity final and has arrived back home in the UK a week early after becoming the third campmate to be voted off the show on Monday.
It’s custom for all the cast to be present at the show’s final to congratulate the final three contestants but it can be confirmed the NDubz star, 36, was not there as she has returned home to Manchester.
+25
View gallery
I’m A Celebrity stars Barry McGuigan and Maura Higgins were given quite the warm welcome on Thursday as they arrived back at the hotel in Surfers Paradise, Australia following their double elimination, with Melvin leaping into Barry’s arms
+25
View gallery
Meanwhile, Love Island favourite Maura, 34, was offered a more graceful greeting as she shared a sweet embraced with Loose Women’s Jane Moore, 62
It comes after the former X-Factor had a bust-up in the hotel after she was evicted from the show with her best friends, Michelle McKenna and her boyfriend, Daniel Johnson.
Despite her absence, her fellow I’m A Celebrity stars still managed to lay on a warm welcome for Maura and Barry as they made their way back to civilised society following weeks of jungle life.
Maura looked delighted as she emerged out of her car and arrived to cheers and claps from the gathered crowd.
After hugging Jane, she was seen jumping into the arms of jungle pal Dean, before then sweetly hugging Melvin.
While Barry also looked on top form as he too warmly greeted his campmates in turn while being shown support by the other stars’ loved ones.
It was a double eviction during Thursday’s episode after celebrities had the chance to win immunity and go straight through to the final and the famous Cyclone challenge in a new twist which debuted this series.
After the contestants went head to head in Wednesday’s trial, winners Maura Higgins, Oti Mabuse, Coleen Rooney and Danny Jones battled it out for immunity in a final challenge at the Arcade of Agony.
But it was Oti who was victorious as the dancer completed the Tetris like challenge in the quickest time and won the golden ticket.
+25
View gallery
Jane and Melvin were joined by fellow evicted campmate Dean McCullough, 32, in the lobby of the hotel, where they had waited alongside the celebrity’s friends and family to greet the evictees
+25
View gallery
Jane and Dean looked fresh-faced and squeaky clean after weeks of slumming it in the jungle
+25
View gallery
Maura looked delighted as she emerged out of her car and arrived to cheers and claps from the gathered crowd
+25
View gallery
+25
View gallery
Maura couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she emerged from her car
+25
View gallery
The Irish beauty was in a great mood as she arrived at the hotel
+25
View gallery
She shared a very warm embrace with Jane as Dean and Melvin watched on
+25
View gallery
Maura was delighted to see her campmates again
+25
View gallery
The rest of the crowd cheered and clapped upon Maura’s arrival
+25
View gallery
After hugging Jane, she was seen jumping into the arms of jungle pal Dean, before then sweetly hugging Melvin
+25
View gallery
The star was overjoyed following her exit
+25
View gallery
Meanwhile Melvin beamed as he finally got his hug with Maura
However the immunity twist has left the show embroiled in fix rows as fans took to Twitter to share their disappointment that they didn’t have full autonomy over the votes.
They wrote: ‘Anyone else feeling like the Golden ticket to Cyclone has taken something away from us as the viewers?
‘One of the biggest parts of this show is us voting to see our faves in this iconic trial. (No hate to Oti intended, love her. Just a thought and not that serious.)’;
‘This feels like a fix. I reckon Oti was low in the voting and she somehow had a ‘technique’ that helped her win?’;
‘For a bit, it felt like producers may have been trying to rig it for either Maura and Coleen to get through but didn’t expect Oti to be smarter at figuring it out’.
Meanwhile Maura was met by her friend Talia off the bridge because her ‘Mammy’ Sharon was unable to make the 22-hour flight Down Under.
A late arrival alongside the Reverend Richard Coles, 63, the pair struck up an unlikely friendship when they were tasked with being the ‘villains’ of the camp by staying in the luxury Jungle junkyard.
+25
View gallery
While Barry also looked on top form as he too warmly greeted his campmates in turn while being shown support by the other stars’ loved ones
+25
View gallery
The Boxing legend was cheered and clapped as he walked into the lobby and into the arms of his evicted campmates
+25
View gallery
Barry was pulled into a tight hug by Jane as the others clapped
+25
View gallery
Dean got in on the action too as he welcomed Barry
+25
View gallery
Maura offered a friendly wave as she no doubt headed back to her room to get cleaned up
+25
View gallery
The Love Island star was certainly in great spirits after being the latest star to be booted from the jungle
So entertaining is their partnership, that fans have since called for the pair to have their own television show when the Reverend comes out of the Jungle.
Admitting she had a ‘gut feeling’ she told Ant and Dec in her exit interview: ‘I’m really happy. I said it this morning it’s my time, I had a gut feeling and they’re never wrong.
‘I didn’t think I would embrace it as much as i have and I loved every single second. It’s mad how it changes you.’
Sharing her love for the Richard she revealed he is her winner as she continued: ‘I absolutely love Reverend Coles, he is so hilarious the things he comes out with shocks me and I don’t get shocked much’
The star added: ‘One thing I said when I came in was I do not want to say “I’m a Celebrity Ge tme out of here” and I still don’t know how I did that trial with spiders. I’m much tougher than I ever thought.’
Later on I’m A Celebrity Unpacked she joked: ‘I take the Lord’s name in vain quite a lot and of course I was put in there with a Reverend of all people, but we just clicked.’
Maura also admitted: ‘I missed my Mammy, I’ve just been on facetime with her.’
+25
View gallery
Maura Higgins and Barry McGuigan are the latest contestants to be evicted from the camp just days before the final as show becomes embroiled in ‘fix’ row following immunity twist
+25
View gallery
It was a double eviction during Thursday’s episode after celebrities had the chance to win immunity and go straight through to the final in a new twist which debuted this series
+25
View gallery
Oti Mabuse won immunity ahead of the final as she received a ‘golden ticket’ through to the Cyclone trial after battling it out with Coleen Rooney, Danny Jones and Maura Higgins
Also eliminated, Barry was reunited with his wife of 40 years, Sandra, after two weeks in the Australian jungle as she met him off the bridge.
Speaking with hosts Ant and Dec he said: ‘I’m the original cyclone, so I’m disappointed that I’m not slipping and looking like a clown in it.
‘The Jungle was much tougher than I expected, the food was the toughest part, everything tasted bland and ridiculous.’
The boxing legend also opened up on his sweet bond with McFly’s Danny Jones, as he added: ‘I think he’s going to be the King, he’s a great fella. We have a lot in common because my dad was a musician and I loved his creativity.’
