David Haye has launched a scathing attack on Adam Thomas following the actor's revelation that he sought professional help after their time together on I'm A Celebrity South Africa.
The 45-year-old boxer dismissed Mr Thomas's therapy admission, declaring that the former Emmerdale star "doesn't need therapy" but rather "needs to do some push-ups."
Speaking to The Sun, Mr Haye branded Mr Thomas "weak" and questioned his resilience. "If a few comments breaks him, how soft is he? How weak, how brittle-spirited is he?" he said.
The former heavyweight champion went further, likening Mr Thomas to a small dog. "Adam's like a kind of chihuahua. I'm more of a doberman or a boxer or a pit bull or something. He's the chihuahua," Haye stated.
The star was left upset by Mr Haye's comments
|ITV
The dispute stems from scenes broadcast on the ITV reality series in which Mr Haye criticised Mr Thomas for withdrawing from a Bushtucker Trial after complaining of feeling unwell and dehydrated.
The boxer branded his 37-year-old campmate "useless" and questioned why he should be excused. "Not well? What's wrong with him? He's a grown arse man," Mr Haye said during the episode.
"Why aren't we forcing this dude to go and do it? Coincidentally, every time there's something to do, he's not feeling well!"
Mr Thomas suffers from psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune condition causing joint pain, swelling and stiffness, which he was diagnosed with in 2023.
The former boxer had clashes with many of his campmates
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Several fellow contestants defended Mr Thomas at the time, including Gemma Collins and Scarlett Moffatt, while presenters Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnellyd also showed their support.
Mr Thomas opened up about his mental health struggles during an episode of his podcast At Home With The Thomas Bros, recorded with siblings Scott and Ryan.
The Waterloo Road actor became emotional as he described how the experience fundamentally altered him. "I know for a fact, I'm not the same person as I was when I went into the jungle, to when I came out. It's changed me and that's no over-exaggeration. I'm in therapy now because of it," he said.
Mr Thomas explained that Mr Haye was "mindf***ing him constantly," which led him to withdraw from the group and feel isolated in camp.
Mr Thomas recalled his time on the show during his podcast alongside his brothers
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"I just took it, and took it, and took it, until eventually it got to a point where I was like, 'I'm literally at breaking point here,'" he told his brothers.
When Mr Haye was eliminated, Mr Thomas said it felt like "a weight had lifted".
Mr Haye showed little sympathy for Mr Thomas's health condition, stating he "didn't know" about the arthritis but "couldn't care less".
"Everyone's got something," the boxer told The Sun. "If you go to the doctor and say, I don't feel well because of this, that, the other, they'll prescribe you something, give you some pills, and now you've got this thing to hold on to."
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He admitted to needing therapy after his stint
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He suggested Mr Thomas used his condition as an excuse, claiming the actor "was jumping around, dancing" before deciding he didn't fancy the trial and "lying in bed".
Mr Haye maintained his comments did not constitute bullying, describing them as "just banter to another guy who was nearly 40 years old".
If their confrontation "is what breaks him," Mr Haye added, then Mr Thomas "comes from a very soft, padded lifestyle".
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