Coronation Street star Andy Whyment has addressed his exit from I'm A Celebrity... South Africa, saying he 'did the right thing' after fans told him he shouldn't have left. The soap favourite delighted viewers of the ITV reality show spin-off when he made a late entrance last month.
His return to the jungle - or should we say South African bush as ITV swapped locations for the first-ever pre-recorded edition of I'm A Celeb - came three years after he lost out on the crown, finishing runner-up in the 2019 series to former EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa.
I'm A Celeb fans were quick to tip him as the winner of the new series, however, as viewers saw on Monday night (May 8), that won't be the case. Andy and Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo became the latest celebs to leave the camp after being locked in a head-to-head battle with Myleene Klass and Jordan Banjo.
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Made In Chelsea star Toff and actor Andy, who is famed for plaing Kirk Sutherland in ITV soap Corrie, left by boat after being covered in sticky molasses in their final trial. But as they waved goodbye to the I'm A Celeb spin-off, the winners got to feast at the final picnic by the waterfall, with a celebratory bottle of champagne.
But I'm A Celeb viewers were reeling and made the same point about the double exit. Meanwhile, Andy has been responding to the scenes that unfolded on-screen. Taking to Instagram, he wrote alongside some pictures of his time in the new setting of Krugar National Park: "So tonight me and @georgiatoffolo lost the trial so had to leave camp, like I said on screen I found it tough with the lack of food but still had some fantastic moments in camp as well.
"I would’ve liked to have stayed longer but I feel like I was winner just being asked to go back and do the show again." He then added: "Thanks for the memories in 2019 and in South Africa @imacelebrity @itv I’ll be forever grateful."
But fans were still sharing their dismay with one writing: "It shouldn't of been you guys." And in response, Andy shared what really happened as he replied: "Nobody wanted to do the trial so I did the right thing and said I’d do it, Toff did as well, unfortunately 2 people had to go and that was us."
@greenhamsharon also said: "So annoyed you went Andy you were my winner back in the day and now. Its amazing how certain people just ducked out of doing the trial. So good people like yourself go. Not a happy viewer here. I hope you had a good feast when you got out you deserved it."
And Andy repeated his previous point as he replied: "I most definitely did have a good feast when I got out. Sorry you’re upset but unfortunately, I felt I had to put myself forward for the trial even though I knew I would have to leave if we lost."
Speaking to The Sun, Andy also revealed a comment he made to the show's host Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly that didn't make it to air. On the challenge that saw him leave, he said: "Four of us had to do it. So I was like, I'll make it easy for you, I don't mind. They didn’t show it but Ant and Dec turned to us and said ‘we’re gutted to see you four down here’ and I actually said ‘if us four didn’t stick our hands up you wouldn’t have had a trial’.
"It’s frustrating me a bit that I left doing three trials and Janice [Dickinson] didn’t do one trial and she was still in there. That was the frustrating thing. And the fact she turned round and blatantly said ‘I don’t want to do it’. It’s annoying knowing she’s there and I’ve gone, but listen it is what it is. At least when I came out I got a three course meal and a couple of beers and got to speak to my wife and the kids."
The first pair sent home this series, to crown a legend from over the past 20 years of the show, were Shaun Ryder and Gillian McKeith, then Bolton boxer Amir Khan was the next to go, and in Monday's episode (May 8) it was announced that supermodel Janice Dickinson had made a shock exit after taking a tumble in camp.
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