If there’s one thing this latest series of I’m A Celebrity will be remembered for, it’s the perceived ‘bullying’ of Iain Lee.
Jamie Lomas, Dennis Wise, Rebekah Vardy and Amir Khan were all accused of giving the radio presenter grief during the ITV reality series.
However, in a shock twist, Iain himself has angrily DENIED that he was bullied in the jungle.
Speaking on a special spin-off show, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Coming Out – which will be shown tonight – the 44-year-old said it was time to lay such allegations to rest.
It’s been reported that hundreds of people complained to Ofcom about Iain’s treatment in the jungle.
But the talkRADIO host, who only found out about the media hoo-ha once the show had finished, made a point of defending his co-stars.
He said: “There was no bullying going on. Let’s quash this rumour once and for all. Bullying is a very serious thing. It’s a huge word. There was no bullying whatsoever.”
And earlier this week, Iain backed up that claim by posing for a photo with Amir, Jamie and Dennis prior to the show’s wrap party.
Read more: I’m A Celeb star’s tears over being branded a bully revealed in tonight’s Coming Out show
While there’s obviously no hard feelings from Iain’s point of view, Rebekah spoke of her devastation at coming out of the camp to discover what the media had been saying.
She told the spin-off show: “I came out to the biggest [expletive] storm. And you know I don’t get upset about things, and you know I’m really strong, but I actually cried in the car. It really upset me.”
As for Dennis, he seemed to suggest that IAIN was to blame for causing friction in the jungle.
He claimed: “Obviously, Iain was in there to upset everything in the camp and that was his intention.
Read more: A big difference in Iain Lee’s I’m A Celeb exit has viewers in stitches
“If he’s playing a game, he’s played it extremely well. He’s obviously done it for his own reasons and that’s up to Iain to explain himself.”
Following Dennis’s exit from the show – which was won by Georgia Toffolo – Loose Women star Kaye Adams seemed to stick up for the retired footballer.
She told her fellow panellists: “You know, he maybe wasn’t particularly subtle about it, and he was maybe a bit unkind, but I don’t think it was bullying personally, and I think we do need to have a discussion about what is bullying.
“I think when there’s a real power dynamic and someone is systematically going out to undermine someone, that’s what I would call bullying.
“In this situation, Iain’s a big boy. Maybe he should have had a conversation with him – and we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.”
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Coming Out is on ITV tonight (Friday 15 December) at 9pm.