James Haskell has addressed the ‘bullying’ claims made against him on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here and told how ‘it’s a shame it came across that way’.
Speaking with his wife Chloe Madeley on This Morning, the star told Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield that he went into the camp to challenge himself, not to be a leader.
‘When you’re in the jungle, you are with 12 people from different walks of life,’ he began.
‘I went in with one idea, and one idea only and that was to challenge myself.
‘I wanted everyone to have an equal say and opportunity, but sometimes you have to do the greater good for everyone. In a normal world, it would just be a difference of opinion but in the jungle environment when you say things it’s put out a certain way.’
He continued: ‘I went in to have fun, I didn’t want to take on a leadership role but I have been around team sports my entire life and sometimes debating stuff gets frustrating.
‘I found 21 bags of beans and the whole camp was starving. When you say things on there is can seem more than it was. In the jungle that may have come across as frustrated but it was nothing, it was a shame it came across as anything else.’
His wife Chloe went on to add that she has spoken to James about his ‘hangry episode’.
She added: ‘James is not great with spiders, he has a panic attack when he sees one at home, but by day five I could see he was getting really hungry.
‘His whole face started to change and he looked different, and before he had his hangry episode, he was sleeping a lot and he doesn’t do that so I knew it was coming before the tornado hit.’
James has found himself embroiled in various spats with campmates, shutting down Kate Garraway and making digs at Corrie’s Andy Whyment while he also sparked a flurry of Ofcom complaints over a joke about clubfoot.
The 34-year-old could be seen making fun of the former Arsenal footballer for his decision to run through the campsite.
‘He’s completely lost the plot,’ he could be heard saying. ‘Look at that clubfoot.
‘Go on then, expend that energy.’
However, fans watching on from home were livid over his ‘disgusting’ comments, with clubfoot charity Steps UK suggesting he will encourage bullying.
The remark also sparked 78 Ofcom complaints.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues tonight at 9pm on ITV.
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