I'm A Celebrity's Sinitta defends David Haye as feud with Adam Thomas reignites ahead of ITV final: 'Was goaded!'

Lauren Williams
Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:41:00 +0000

David Haye has reignited his bitter dispute with Adam Thomas, unleashing a barrage of insults against his I'm A Celebrity South Africa co-star in a newly published interview.

The former world heavyweight boxing champion branded the Emmerdale actor "weak" and "brittle-spirited" while addressing their on-screen confrontation.

"If a few comments break him, how soft is he? How weak, how brittle-spirited is he?" Haye told the Sun.

The 45-year-old boxer also likened Mr Thomas to a small dog, stating: "Adam's like a kind of chihuahua. I'm more of a Doberman or a boxer or a pit bull or something."

Mr Haye suggested that if such exchanges were enough to upset the 37-year-old actor, it indicated Mr Thomas came from "a very soft, padded lifestyle."

Mr Haye was particularly dismissive when asked about Mr Thomas's psoriatic arthritis, a long-term autoimmune condition causing joint pain and swelling that the actor was diagnosed with in 2023.

"I couldn't care less," the boxer declared. "Everyone's got something."

He went on to suggest that medical diagnoses serve as convenient excuses, claiming: "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."

Mr Haye alleged Mr Thomas used his condition to dodge challenges, saying people with such diagnoses can point to their "doctor's note" so "they'll all feel sorry for me".

The boxer also claimed Mr Thomas had been "jumping around, dancing" before deciding he was too unwell to participate in a trial.

Despite facing accusations of bullying from viewers, Mr Haye firmly rejected any wrongdoing and characterised his behaviour as harmless teasing.

"I didn't feel when I was in there I was bullying anybody. There was no physical, there was no threats, not from me anyway," he insisted.

"It was just banter to another guy who was nearly 40 years old."

When Mr Thomas revealed he had sought professional help after his jungle experience, Haye was equally scathing.

"He doesn't need therapy," the boxer stated.

"He needs to do some push-ups, he needs to get out there and get in amongst other males who are powerful, who do stuff and don't sit there talking all the goddamned time about how hard life is."

Singer Sinitta, who appeared alongside both men in the South African jungle, came to Mr Haye's defence during an appearance on Good Morning Britain today.

"There was no bullying," she stated firmly, adding that she witnessed Mr Thomas provoking the boxer during their time in separate camps.

"It was actually Adam goading David saying 'we've got this, we've got that'," she explained.

The singer acknowledged that Haye's teasing may have gone too far and upset Mr Thomas, but maintained that genuine bullying never occurred.

"It's this thing where it can go too far with teasing and someone gets upset. But there were no feelings of anyone being bullied," she said. "Because I wouldn't have been able to tolerate that."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Clarkson's Farm favourite Harriet Cowen hints at series 'return' after facing career struggles

Daniel Mays shares why he used counselling to tackle tough ITV role: 'Invaluable to me'

One Direction star forced to cancel TV appearance after concerning 'heart' illness

Several other campmates, including Gemma Collins and Scarlett Moffatt, had defended Mr Thomas during filming.

Mr Thomas has spoken openly about the toll the experience took on him, revealing on social media that his clashes with Haye "broke" him.

"My time in I'm a Celebrity South Africa was one of the toughest things I've ever been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally," he wrote.

The actor told his brothers Scott and Ryan on their podcast that he reached "breaking point" with one campmate and subsequently attended therapy.

However, Mr Thomas indicated he has since made peace with the situation, stating that Haye apologised and he has chosen to move on.

The I'm A Celebrity finale airs on Friday evening, with Mr Thomas competing against Sir Mo Farah, Harry Redknapp, Scarlett Moffatt and Craig Charles for the title of ultimate legend 2026.

Haye has predicted Mr Thomas will win "because he is the victim" of the series.