Ant and Dec hailed for ‘finest moment of TV ever’ as they 'break character' by firmly shutting down live explosive row

Lydia Davies
Fri, 24 Apr 2026 22:24:27 +0000

David Haye was shut down live on air by Ant and Dec during the I'm A Celebrity... South Africa final, as the ITV show descended into chaos during an explosive reunion.

The former heavyweight boxer repeatedly clashed with finalist Adam Thomas and Jimmy Bullard, forcing the presenters to step in and regain control of the broadcast.

Tensions flared when Mr Bullard accused ITV of failing to show the full extent of his earlier row with Mr Thomas.

"What I don't stand on is someone being abusive, aggressive and intimidating. You were there... You didn't show none of that," he said.

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Declan Donnelly pushed back, replying: "Well we did show quite a lot of it," while Ant McPartlin added: "The reason why we didn't air the C-bomb is because that's unbroadcastable."

When pressed further, Mr McPartlin stood firm, telling Mr Bullard: "I was there and I didn't think it was intimidating."

Mr Bullard responded in disbelief: "You didn't?"

"No, I was there! I was there, Jim!" Mr McPartlin insisted, prompting loud applause from the studio audience.

The situation escalated further when Mr Haye attempted to interject, with Mr Donnelly snapping: "You keep out of this, David, you'd gone, you weren't even there!"

The audience again reacted with cheers as the presenters struggled to contain the escalating row.

Mr Thomas then turned to Mr Haye, urging him to step back from the exchange.

"Will you just let the finalists talk, please?" he said.

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"Listen, I've apologised to Jimmy on numerous occasions, ok, and I do take everything he's saying into account and the only thing that I can do is apologise."

However, Mr Haye continued to interrupt, prompting Mr McPartlin to cut him off and shift the focus.

"Like we said, you weren't there for that moment, but I've got a question for you... what have you made to some of the reaction to comments that you made in camp?" he asked.

The boxer responded by criticising the show's editing, claiming it had misrepresented events.

"I like to say it as I see it. When I'm in a situation, I keep it real. And what I've seen is a lot of editing to make Adam look like a victim," he said, as the crowd began to boo.

"We all had banter back and forth. A lot of it was cut out from their side. I think it's time for the truth to come out."

Mr Bullard then attempted to involve other campmates, asking whether Mr Thomas had been "abusive and aggressive".

Gemma Collins immediately rejected the claim, while Harry Redknapp admitted: "I don't know."

Sinitta backed Mr Bullard’s version of events, insisting the confrontation had been aggressive, before walking off set and telling the audience they "weren’t there".

Ms Collins also left the stage shortly afterwards, as the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Sir Mo Farah attempted to calm the situation, telling the panel: "We all have a moment in our lives, right or wrong."

Mr McPartlin then urged Mr Bullard to move on, pointing out that Mr Thomas had already apologised.

"Leave it there," he said, reiterating that he did not view Mr Thomas's behaviour as abusive.

The chaotic exchange came after an earlier confrontation in the show, when Mr Haye had challenged Mr Thomas live on air.

"Do you think you deserve to win this after calling Jimmy the C-word a couple of times?" he asked during the reunion.

The dramatic scenes quickly went viral, with viewers divided over the explosive showdown.

Some praised the presenters for taking control, with one writing: "Ant and Dec — that was your finest moment on TV ever."

"I think Ant and Dec just broke character...and I loved it", penned another.

Others criticised the handling of the situation, questioning why more footage of the original row had not been shown.

One viewer commented: "If it wasn’t abusive or aggressive, why not just show it?"

Another added: "You’ve got people on stage saying it was aggressive...so someone’s not telling the full story."

Despite the controversy, Mr Thomas went on to be crowned the winner of the series.

However, viewers noted he appeared subdued following the tense scenes that had unfolded live on air.