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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Boy George slammed I'm A Celeb as he boasted he earned enough money to never appear

Boy George slammed I'm A Celebrity after boasting that he has earned more than enough money to never have to appear - six months before joining show.

A resurfaced clip from April sees the music superstar throwing shade at the ITV programme.

He made an appearance of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway earlier this year and he told the ITV pair not to expect him in the jungle at time soon.

Belting out his hit Karma Chameleon, the 61-year-old was asked what the pop classic's title meant.

The singing star hopes to be a roaring success in the jungle (Tim Merry / Daily Star)

Hinting at the cash the song has earned him, the star told them: "It means I'll never have to say I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!"

But it seems reportedly the largest paycheque in the show's history has turned his head.

The Culture Club singer, whose full name is George Alan O’Dowd, is reportedly earning a £500,000 appearance fee.

He touched down in Brisbane on Saturday wearing a lion mask as the ITV show returned to Australia after two years in Wales.

...but he had a poke at the show back in April (ITV)

Telly insiders said the bumper pay packet tempted him Down Under – and put him ahead of US reality star Caitlyn Jenner, 73, as top earner in the show’s 20-year history.

"It's been a long time since we had a huge global star film the show and he will no doubt draw viewers," a source told MailOnline.

"He's a national treasure and we have no doubt viewers will make him king of jungle."

The Sunday People revealed the singer signed up to the show after plans for a Hollywood biopic on his life were shelved - with Yungblud set to star as him.

But his signing was met with anger among those who feel he should be banned from TV due to his abuse conviction in 2009.

George was jailed for 15 months for falsely imprisoning a male escort by handcuffing him to a wall and beating him with a chain.

The singer served four months in prison.

Speaking in 2016 after George became a judge on The Voice, his victim Audun Carlsen said the singer “ruined his life”.

The new series begins next Sunday night and as he arrived he joked: “I’m here to do a version of The Lion Queen, I don’t know what you are talking about, darling!”

The other campmates include Corrie legend Sue Cleaver, 59, Lioness Jill Scott, 35, and ex-rugby ace Mike Tindall.

DJ Chris Moyles and ITV News host Charlene White, join Love Island star Olivia Attwood, and Hollyoaks’ Owen Warner on the programme.

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