Ryan Thomas issues candid statement as he breaks silence on David Haye's I'm A Celeb comments: 'Broken'

Olivia Gantzer
Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:55:39 +0000

Adam Thomas has opened up about his gruelling experience on I'm A Celebrity South Africa, revealing that former boxer David Haye left him feeling "broken" during filming.

The 37-year-old actor, best known for his roles in Emmerdale and Waterloo Road, shared an emotional statement on Instagram on Sunday evening alongside a photograph from the show.

"Not going to lie, this picture breaks my heart, as I know on the inside what I was dealing with and truth be told I thought it was all my fault," Mr Thomas wrote.

He described his stint on the all-stars edition as "one of the toughest things I've ever been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally."

The actor added that revisiting the footage, recorded late last year, has proven particularly challenging.

Mr Thomas has been open about living with arthritis, an autoimmune condition that causes his immune system to attack his own body, resulting in significant pain.

During his time in the South African camp, the condition took a severe toll on him physically.

"My biggest fight was pretending to put on a brave face and trying to hide the pain! That can be exhausting within itself," he explained.

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A post shared by Adam Thomas (@adamthomas21)

The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant admitted there were periods when his body simply wanted to give up, yet he persevered through the ordeal.

The actor acknowledged he did not handle every situation perfectly and expressed regret about not speaking up sooner or standing his ground rather than attempting to maintain harmony among campmates.

The confrontation came during Friday's episode when Mr Thomas was lying in bed feeling unwell, with Gemma Collins attempting to lift his spirits by playfully spoon-feeding him.

When discussion turned to the next Bushtucker Trial, Mr Haye put the actor forward for the Termite Terror challenge despite the actor explaining he was dehydrated and not in a fit state to participate.

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The boxer refused to accept this, declaring: "Dehydrated?! We've all got the same amount of water! Adam is doing it and that's it!"

Mr Haye continued his criticism in front of fellow campmates, questioning when Mr Thomas would be at his best and suggesting it was suspicious that he felt poorly whenever tasks arose.

Gogglebox winner Scarlett Moffatt stepped in to defend Mr Thomas, urging Haye to stop his tirade, before Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts ultimately volunteered for the trial.

Mr Thomas confirmed that he has since spoken directly with Mr Haye about the situation and received an apology from the former heavyweight champion.

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A post shared by Adam Thomas (@adamthomas21)

"He broke me in there, he pushed me to my limits, and I've told David this and he's apologised and that's that!" Mr Thomas stated, adding that he has moved on and does not hold grudges.

His twin brother Scott Thomas, known for appearing on Love Island, responded publicly to the Instagram post expressing his frustration.

"It makes me so angry that you went through that," he commented, adding he was proud of how his brother had emerged from the experience stronger than before.

Their older brother Ryan Thomas, the former Coronation Street actor, took a lighter approach, joking they might need to call boxer Tony Bellew for backup given Haye's intimidating presence.