I’m A Celebrity winner Adam Thomas has broken his silence with an emotional Instagram statement
09:28, 25 Apr 2026Updated 09:35, 25 Apr 2026
‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! South Africa’ winner Adam Thomas(Image: Jonathan Hordle/ITV/Shutterstock)
Adam Thomas has spoken out with an emotional statement following his I’m A Celebrity victory last night.
The finale of the ITV programme descended into chaos on Friday night as Jimmy Bullard confronted Adam over what took place during the show. Adam and Jimmy clashed when he chose to walk away and abandon the Rancid Run trial, effectively forfeiting Adam’s place on the show – leaving his fellow campmates completely stunned.
But Adam, 37, went on to win the show by public vote. And, in a new statement on Saturday morning, he wrote on Instagram: “I walked through this journey with my heart first, no matter what came my way…It was not always easy, there were moments that could have broken me, but I stayed true to myself and that is something I will always be proud of.
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“I have realised that when people try to dim your light, it says more about them than it ever will about you.
“This experience has shown me my strength in ways I never imagined. Not because of any title or recognition, but because I stayed kind, I stayed grounded and I stayed real.”
He went on to say: “Family means everything to me, and there is one person who has been my rock through it all. Happy birthday to my Beautiful wife, you have stood by me when things were tough and reminded me of my strength when I needed it most. I would not be who I am without you.
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“To everyone who supported me, who believed in me and showed love, thank you, it means more than I can ever put into words. And to those who doubted me or tried to bring me down, I carry no negativity towards you. I have already won in the ways that matter most. I have love, I have happiness and I have stayed true to myself, and that is something no one can ever take away from me. I hope one day you can do the same.”
Olympian Sir Mo Farah placed in second, hailing the experience as “amazing” and “entertaining”, while former football manager Harry Redknapp came in third and said he “really enjoyed” his time on the series.
(Image: ITV)
Craig Charles was awarded fourth place during the episode, which saw the finalists face insects, reptiles and other creepy crawlies in a series of pre-recorded trials filmed last autumn as they each fought to earn stars for their final jungle banquet.
The episode became chaotic after David Haye joined in the conversation to accuse the show of editing footage to make Thomas look like a “victim” and, after defending the actor, Sinitta and Gemma Collins walked off set.
During last night’s finale, Jimmy shed light on how the altercation had actually unfolded, revealing it was initially over stars for camp – before the bombshell was dropped that campmates would be departing, reports the Mirror. He claimed that he had informed producers he wished to leave, exiting in such a way that allowed him to receive his full fee from ITV for his appearance on the show.
Ant and Dec with I’m A Celebrity South Africa winner Adam Thomas(Image: Jonathan Hordle/ITV/Shutterstock)
Jimmy labelled Adam as “intimidating, aggressive and abusive” and put it to Ant and Dec whether they agreed. Ant stated he didn’t consider it intimidating, and from that point, all hell broke loose.
Gemma Collins stormed off while Sinitta also directed her fury at the audience – before order was eventually restored sufficiently to crown Adam the winner.
